My Biggest mistake
by chickadee77
Summary: FINALLY FINISHEDWhat if Hermione loses her chance to be with Ron FOREVER? and what if she realizes she wants him when its too late?
1. How would you know what love is, Ginny?

A/n: Ok I decided to write another Ron/Hermione story! I hope you like this one! It's my first full fic that I ever uploaded on fanfiction so I wish you'd be nice! I'll accept flames to help me along the way so I'll know where I screwed up. 

Summary: Ron liked Hermione ever since the second year. Is it too late to tell her that he does? What if she realizes he loves him back when she knows she's not supposed to? Read on!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. 

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Chapter one

THUD! Something fell on Ron's head as he was sleeping early in the morning. It was Pigwidgeon (sp?), his owl. 

"Good morning to you too…" Ron mumbled. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the letter and a package that fell on him as Pigwidgeon flew around and chirped happily. He hastily unrolled the parchment and grinned. The letter was from Hermione. It read:

__

Dear Ron,

Yes I'm very psyched about meeting you and Harry tomorrow! I can't believe we're finally in our 7th year! I'm going to try everything to make sure this year would be great. I was made a head girl by the way. I wish Harry were head boy. I think he deserves it, don't you? Anyway, I'll see you at Diagon Alley tomorrow with Harry alright? Take care now.

PS: I also sent you a little something. I know it's not your birthday but I just HAD to buy it for you!

Love from,

Hermione

Ron smiled happily. He and Hermione had been writing to each other for the past couple of weeks. 

"Ron! Breakfast!" Mrs. Weasley called. 

"Coming mother!" Ron yelled. He took a box from underneath his bed and opened it. It was full of every letter Hermione had written to him. He stuffed the parchment inside, closed the box and put it back under his bed. Then, he opened the package and was shocked at what he saw. It was a "Broom enhancer". 

"Makes your broom faster and shinier." Ron read from the instructions. "Caution: the speediness of your broom will only last for a month. Do not forget to remove the tag before using." Ron grinned again.. _Thanks Hermione_, he thought. He quickly put the Broom Enhancer underneath his bed with the box and rushed downstairs and sat on a chair next to Fred on the table.

"Do you know that you have a mark on your forehead or are you doing it on purpose?" Ginny told him.

"Yeah it's the new look. Soon you and your friends will be having red marks on your foreheads too." Ron said sarcastically.

"Hmm…that gives me an idea for another prank we could add to our joke shop!" Fred commented. His eyes shined brightly.

"Here's your breakfast." Mrs. Weasley said as she put about 5 plates with different food in them. "Percy please come down now!"

"Mum, I think he left already." George told her as he bit on his bacon.

"My, my, that Percy is overworking himself." Mrs. Weasley muttered. "Pretty soon he's going to end up as a workaholic. He'll end up being a bachelor. Too bad though, he has quite a handsome face…"

Ginny, Ron, Fred and George tried not to laugh so they either drank some juice or shoved a piece of bread in their mouth. After breakfast, George and Fred left and went to their joke shop in Hogsmeade. They had bought Zonkos' a couple of years ago and had the biggest and most successful joke shop in Wizarding History. Ron was eager for the next day to come. He couldn't wait to see Harry and Hermione again. _Especially_ Hermione. Ron didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day so he went with Ginny to her room and helped her with her homework.

"What does a Nogtail look like?" Ginny asked him. 

"Look in your book." Ron said.

"No, I'm too scared to open it!" Ginny said as she eyed the Monster Book of Monsters Volume 6. "Last time it almost bit three of my fingers off, remember. And they're still not healed." She raised her right hand up showed him three fingers that had bandages on them.

"I don't know! I'm not Hermione!" Ron snapped.

"Ooooh! Hermione huh?" Ginny teased. "Why did you blush when you said her name huh Ron?"

"Blush? Me? Blush? That's funny." Ron laughed. 

"Oh come on. I know you like her! Everyone does except her!" Ginny giggled. "Are you finally going to tell her this year? Come on, its your last year Ron!"

"What's there to tell? Nothing!"

"Ugh! You're so impossible! If you don't tell her now, you'll lose her. Forever."   
"I don't know what you're talking about. Hermione and I are going to be friends and we're going to _stay_ friends for a long time."

Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're so hopeless."

"What about you and Harry huh?" Ron asked.

"Harry's different. He's just a crush. An infatuation. What you feel for Hermione is love and that's WAY different."

"How would you know what love is, Ginny?"

"I just feel that you love her even if you deny it. And behind all the denial and lies you say, deep inside you know you love her."

"Stop acting like that stupid hag in the advice section in that Witch Weekly magazine of yours. You sound just like her." 

"Oh how would _you _know that there's an advice column there hmm?"

Ron turned bright red. "Well you left it open on that page once and I was passing by and I caught a glimpse of it and…"

"Don't even _try_ explaining because I don't believe you." Ginny giggled. "Ok so help me with my homework now!"

A/n: ok that's it for today! I don't think I'll upload until Monday or so but please review! It's my first fic ever that I uploaded so please be nice and tell me what you think!


	2. Ok tell me something I don’t know

A/n: Yay thanks a lot HermandRon4ever! I love your fics they're good! I reviewed one of them but I haven't finished reading the one I started but don't worry I'll review. 

Summary: Ron liked Hermione ever since the second year. Is it too late to tell her that he does? What if she realizes he loves him back when she knows she's not supposed to? Read on!

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Chapter Two

Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny went to King's cross by themselves to go to Hogwarts. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley decided that they should be given more freedom and be allowed to be more independent, considering they were already 17. They crossed through the barrier and decided to share a compartment together. Harry couldn't stop himself from gazing at Ginny for some reason. Ron noticed it and started talking to him about Quidditch. Hermione was sitting by the window, reading a book called, 'Sabrina the Teenage witch…Hero or menace?' which was actually pretty interesting. Ginny felt bored so she decided to visit some of her friends in another compartment. Harry immediately stood up and followed her.

"What the hell was that all about? He left me just to go after my sister!" Ron said angrily.

"Come on Ron! Can't you see the loving look in his eyes as he stares at Ginny? Can't you see how much he yearns for her to be beside him in every waking moment?" Hermione said in a dramatic voice.

"Can't you see how weird you are?" Ron mumbled. Hermione laughed. "I mean, it's Harry and Ginny we're talking about here! Can't anybody else see how wrong that is?"

"What's so wrong about it?" Hermione asked. "They're perfect for each other. Ginny's the only girl I know who's worthy of Harry. Besides, we're not sure if Harry really does love her…"

"Exactly! It would be so weird to have my best friend gawking at my sister. And then, we find out that he only had a crush while my sister would be falling head over heels for him. I can't stand to see her heart broken…"

"Awww…that was sweet! I never knew you had a caring side." Hermione teased.

"You don't know a lot of things, Hermione."

"Oh really?" Hermione asked. Now her full attention was at Ron. She closed her book and looked at him. He was sitting across from her, looking quite handsome indeed. He had the same red-orange hair, freckles and cute smile. He had grown a lot taller and his body developed more. "I've known you for 6 years and I think I know you quite well."

"That's what you think." Ron answered. He stared back at Hermione. She was sitting, cross-legged on her chair looking at him with one raised eyebrow. 

"Ok tell me something I don't know."

"Why should I? The reason you don't know these things about me is because I don't _want _you to know." Ron said as he thought, _like the fact that you look absolutely beautiful right now and I wish I could run and hold you in my arms…ok wake up Ron! It's Hermione!_

"Hmph! Suit yourself. I can figure it out for myself." Hermione shrugged and opened her book again. Ron muttered something that she couldn't hear. 

"I'm going out to check on Ginny. I'll be back." Ron told her. She just mumbled a "Uh huh." And kept reading her book. 

Suddenly, she heard the door swing open again. "Ron, can you please close the door? I'd like some privacy in here please."

"How about no?" A voice answered. Someone grabbed Hermione's book out of her grasp.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hermione snapped angrily. "Give it back!" She looked up and saw none other than Draco Malfoy, one of her worst enemies, smirking at her.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked bravely. "Get out of our compartment right now."

"I don't take orders from you, Mudblood." Draco grinned. "I'm only here because I had to tell you something."

"You already called me a Mudblood, what else do you want to say to me?" Hermione answered.

"I heard you were head girl this year." Draco began. "And you'd never guess who head boy is…"

Hermione's eyes grew big. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes," Draco said as he moved closer to Hermione, his face merely about 3 inches away from hers. Hermione could smell his after-shave and commented that it smelled good. "I didn't want you to be head girl either but we can't do anything about it. I tried to get out of becoming head boy but my father wouldn't let me. My father…it's always my father who's getting in my way…"

"Do I look like a counselor to you? I don't think so." Hermione replied, thought she couldn't help but feel pity for this evil boy who had been cruel to her for the past 6 years. 

Draco looked at her with his cold gray eyes and said, "Look, if we're going to work together, we should at least try to not kill each other…at least for this last year…"

Hermione grinned. "I don't think that's manageable."

Draco smiled back. Hermione thought, _he actually looks quite handsome when he's smiling. _"Enough chit chat. I better get back to my compartment. Crabbe and Goyle are waiting for me."

Just as Malfoy turned around to leave, Ron came in, breathless. 

"What are you doing here? Hermione are you-"Ron said frantically between breaths.

"Don't worry Weasel, I'm leaving. I can't stand to be in your pathetic little compartment anymore." Malfoy snapped. "Oh and don't worry about your mudblood girl friend, I wouldn't _dream _of doing anything to her." 

Ron was about to punch Malfoy but Hermione said, "No." Malfoy grinned one more time and walked out.

"Ron, I don't think you should mess around with Malfoy this year." Hermione warned.

"Why not?" Ron asked.

"Because I just found out that he's head boy and I don't think you'd want to get expelled on your last year." Hermione explained. "Why are you panting?"

"It's because…I…saw…Harry and Ginny…doing something you would never think of…" Ron explained.

"What? What were they doing?"

"They were…making out in an empty compartment near the back." Ron explained. "I gently opened the door but I don't think they heard me because Ginny was _moaning_! It was quite an unpleasant sight but what else can I do?"

Hermione began to laugh hysterically. "What do you expect Ron? But Harry! I never knew he was a fast one…"

***

As the train neared Hogwarts, the students began to change into their robes and collected their things. Harry and Ginny came back a few minutes before the train stopped. Ginny was all red and exhausted and Harry was grinning uncontrollably. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and tried not to laugh. 

The 1st years were taken by Hagrid and were lead to the boats. 

"I remember when _we_ were the ones riding on those…" Hermione said. "And now, it's the last time we'll see the first years going to Hogwarts."

"You never know. You could get a job here." Ron commented. Hermione merely nodded and follower Ron, Harry and Ginny and the other students to the great hall. They quickly found a seat with the other Gryffindors and watched the first years get sorted. After the sorting ceremony, Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts stood up to say something. The students eventually fell silent.

"I would just like to give a warm welcome to all the newcomers to Hogwarts this year. I hope you have a jolly good year and I hope you enjoy your stay." Dumbledore greeted. "I would also like to welcome back the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th years. Also, our new Head boy and girl for this year is Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger." There was applause and surprised looks glancing at Hermione's way. "And as usual, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to students. That is all and I hope you have a good year." Hermione sighed, slowly taking her time to chew her mashed potatoes.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, it's just that, since it's my last year here, I wanted to remember how good the food was…even if it _was _made by elves." Hermione answered. Ginny smiled and remembered the times when Hermione forced her to join S.P.E.W. 

Harry turned to Ron. "Can you pass me the peas? Ron? Ron? Can you please pass me the peas? Hello?" Ron was staring at Hermione, not even hearing a word Harry was saying. "RON WAKE UP AND PASS ME THE PEAS!" Harry yelled at his ear.

"Oh. Here you go…" Ron mumbled.

"This isn't the peas! These are the carrots!" Harry exclaimed. He sighed. "Neville will you please pass me the peas?" 

Neville nodded and grabbed the bowl of peas. He was holding it over Harry's robes when unfortunately, Seamus Finnigan wasn't paying attention and was busy talking to Justin Filtch-Fletchley (sp?) and accidentally knocked over Neville's bowl of peas which caused it splatter all over Harry.

"Woops. I'm really sorry, Harry." Neville apologized, turning bright pink.

"Sorry too Harry. I didn't see." Seamus added.

"Obviously not…" Harry mumbled. He got up and brushed some peas off his robes. "That's alright, I can clean this." 

"Harry wait, I'll come with you." Ginny said hastily as she stood up and wiped her mouth with a napkin. 

Harry nodded, smiled and grabbed Ginny's arm as they ran off.

"Can you believe those two? Acting like a couple already when they're not even officially dating yet…and to think Ginny's my sister!" Ron muttered.

"Honestly Ron, I don't see why you're fussing so much about this. Maybe it's because I'm an only child and I don't know much about siblinghood but I _do_ know that it's important for Ginny to be able to decide what she wants." Hermione replied. She took a bite out of her chicken. "It's better to see Ginny off with Harry than with say…Goyle."

"True, true…but it's just really weird when I see them together. Especially when I saw them getting a little 'busy' in the train…" Ron nodded as he shuddered at the thought of Harry and Ginny snogging. His eyes landed on Hermione once again and he seemed to be enchanted by her.

Eventually, Hermione noticed. "What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" 

"N – no." Ron stammered. "Are you almost done? I don't wanna go upstairs alone."

"Yes I'm done actually." Hermione agreed. They stood up together and began to walk away from the hall. Then, a cold hand grabbed Hermione's wrist. She turned around and saw Malfoy.

"Don't forget Mudblo – er…" Draco began but he saw Ron staring hard at him. "– Hermione – that the Head boy and girl share their room with prefects." 

"Of course I remember. I'm not stupid." Hermione snapped. She frowned at him. "Come on Ron." She dragged Ron away leaving Malfoy standing alone. _Just wait Granger, you may be a tough one but I'll get you, _Malfoy snickered to himself. 

A/n: Please review! They're greatly appreciated and they help to inspire me!


	3. Since when have you been loooking so bea...

A/n: Yeepee more reviews! Thank you! 

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F0xyness89 – I had to use netslang because I didn't think my summary would fit! But I fixed it now. Thanks for reviewing!

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Ginny – Yes of course I'm writing more! Thanks a lot!

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HermandRon4ever – hehehe thanks for reviewing again! RON AND HERMIONE FOREVER!

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Chapter three

    Hermione spent a few hours in the Gryffindor common room and had some fun with her friends. Then, she took her suitcases and said good bye to everybody. Just as she went outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, she suddenly realized something. _I don't know where the Head boy and girl room is!_ She remembered. Maybe I can ask a teacher or something… 
She dragged her heavy suitcases and went down the stairs. She walked around and around, trying to find a teacher or a friendly ghost but was unsuccessful. Suddenly, a tall, white-blond haired boy walked up to her with a smirk on his face. 
    "Are you lost?" The boy laughed. "I've been watching you. You've been going around in circles for the past 10 minutes." 
Hermione sighed. "Ok fine you win this time. I need to know where the head boy and girl and prefect room is. I don't have time to argue or whatever, I'm too tired for that." 
    Malfoy had a triumphant grin on his face. "Follow me." Hermione picked up her suitcases again. Malfoy turned back and saw Hermione struggling to carry all of her luggage. He suddenly felt guilty and pitied her. _What am I doing? Pitying a mudblood?_ He thought. _It's only going to happen just this once… _"Do you need help with that?" He asked softly, as if he was shy. 
Hermione seemed stunned. It was unlike Malfoy to offer her anything. "No. I'm fine." 
    "Are you sure? You look like you can use some help…" Malfoy asked. Hermione shook her head. Malfoy shrugged and continued to keep walking. _He seemed sincere_, Hermione thought. _But you never know… _

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

    "Ok we're here." Malfoy announced glumly. "The password is hippogriff." 
    Hermione nodded. She said the password and went inside and was followed by Draco. There were about 4 people in the common room. They were the 4 prefects named Tony McMillan from Gryffindor, Beth Roberts from Ravenclaw, Alyson Whisp from Hufflepuff and Sam Fidget from Slytherin . Hermione noticed Draco was gone and figured he went back outside. 
    "Hey Hermione!" Beth greeted. "Like, oh my God I'm so happy that you're like, the head girl!" 
    "Yeah, so am I…" Hermione smiled weakly. "I'll be back, I'll just take my stuff upstairs." She turned to her left, rushed up the stairs and opened what she thought was the girls' dormitory. Inside, she found Malfoy, completely topless, changing in the room. 
"I – I – I didn't mean to!" She quickly stammered and shut the door before Malfoy could say anything. She rushed back down and went to the stairs on the right. The 4 prefects were chatting care freely. They looked at her strangely and she turned red and ran to the real girls' dorm. 
    As she went in the room and put her things on her bed, she couldn't take her mind of everything that had happened. Ron staring at her, Harry and Ginny making out, Malfoy being nice to her…Malfoy being topless…_no!_ She scolded herself. _You cannot like a Malfoy!_ She grabbed one of her books and decided to read. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

    The next couple of days have been hectic for Hermione. She was caught up with most of her homework and her head girl duties. She hardly had time to have fun with Harry, Ginny and Ron. Harry and Ginny however, have been acting strangely ever since the train ride. Their eyes always seemed to be laughing about something. Ron found it irritating and distracting but didn't say anything. He secretly wished Hermione was there to talk about it with. 
One night, Hermione went to the Head boy and girl room, feeling extremely tired and worn out. She wasn't having a good day. She, for once, had forgotten to do her Charms homework and had to do three extra pages. Not that it was a problem for her, for she could do it easily, but she just wanted to relax for once. 
    "Hippogriff…" Hermione said in an exhausted voice to the portrait of an old man with a long beard. The door swung open and she stepped inside. "Finally! Away from it all!" She said loudly to herself, thinking the room was open. 
"Away from what?" A voice asked. 
    Hermione stopped, feeling a little embarrassed. A figure rose from the couch and faced her. He smiled at her intimidatingly and slowly walked up to her. 
    "Where's everybody else?" Hermione asked firmly. She could see his eyes dancing around her. 
    "I don't know. Somewhere…" Draco answered. "I just came up here to relax, until you came…" 
    "Well for your information, this isn't a private room you know." Hermione answered bitterly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd rather go to my room than spend my precious time here, arguing with a pathetic creature like you." 
    Malfoy smirked. "Is that the best you can do Granger? Honestly, I thought we were going to have a truce. We're supposed to set an example." 
    "Since when have you been a goody-goody?" 
    "Since when have you been looking so beautiful?" 
    That comment completely shocked Hermione. It felt like she was in the body-binding curse. "Wha – what d-d-did you s-say?" She asked even though she clearly heard what he said. 
    "I said – never mind. Forget it. Forget this whole thing ever happened." Malfoy said gruffly and he went outside leaving Hermione speechless. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Ron was sitting on the floor while munching on some chocolate frogs. Everyone in the common room was busy talking except for him. Harry and Ginny were sitting closely beside each other on the couch, giggling about something. Ron rolled his eyes and gazed upon the chair where Hermione used to sit when she did her homework or when she watched Harry and Ron play Wizard's chess. He sighed. He really missed her a lot. He stood up, realizing that there was nothing to do in the common room anyway, and went up to the boy's dormitory. He lay on his bed and took out a picture from underneath his pillow. 
    He gazed at it longingly. It was a picture of him and Hermione laughing under a tree in Hogwarts. Hermione looked pretty in it, as her head tilted and her lovely curls tossed about. _I wish she were here with me instead of with that Malfoy prat, _Ron thought angrily. He slowly put the photo back under his pillow. Then, he heard noises. 
"Shhh…are you sure nobody's in here?" A girl's voice asked cautiously. 
    "Yes I'm positively sure! Everybody's outside, having fun and talking." A boy's voice assured her. "It's safe." 
"Alright. But I'm still not sure…" The girl answered uncertainly. 
    The boy whispered something and the girl giggled. _Who the hell are these people? They know we're not allowed to go inside the opposite sex's room!_ Ron thought. All of a sudden, he heard kissing noises. _Okay that's it if they're gonna make out I don't wanna be here!_ He stood up and saw Ginny lying on a bed in the far, far corner with Harry on top of her. 
    "Ginny? Harry?" Ron bellowed. "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU GUYS DOING?" 
"Uhh…" Ginny said uncertainly. Harry slowly got off her. 
    "It's not what you think, Ron. We weren't doing – you – you know…" Harry stammered. 
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WERE DOING OR WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO!" Ron yelled angrily. "That's why I didn't want you to start falling for my sister! And I can't believe you Harry! Taking advantage of her like that…" 
    "Ron I think I'm old enough to decided what should or shouldn't happen to me." Ginny fought back. "I can protect myself." 
"That's what you think!" Ron spat. 
    "Ron, you know I'd never, ever take advantage of Ginny. You know that don't you?" Harry asked with very guilty eyes. 
"I don't know anymore." Ron answered firmly. 
    "I'd never have you-know-what with her until we're old enough and if she really wants to." Harry continued. "I really love your sister, Ron. I hope you understand. It' just like how you feel for Herm-" 
"Don't even mention her name!" Ron said angrily. "Nobody knows what I feel for Hermione! Nobody understands so I wouldn't talk! I'm leaving now so you can go back to what you two were doing. I don't care anymore!" Ron stomped away and added, "And if you get pregnant Ginny, it's not my fault." He opened the door and slammed it shut leaving Ginny and Harry's mouth hanging open in disbelief and guilt. 
    A/n: Ok sorry if that got a little yeah…it's really hard for me to write about stuff like this! It makes me feel all weird! Anyway, please review! 


	4. Everything else seemed like a blur

A/n: YAY! You guys make me so happy! AHHH! My little thank you list will be at the end of this chap. Thanks a lot guys!

Disclaimer: I wish Harry Potter belonged to be but it doesn't…*tear*

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Chapter four

Hermione couldn't stop thinking of what Draco had told her a few days ago. _"Since when have you been looking so beautiful?"_ The same line kept repeating in her head over and over. Draco kept avoiding her gaze whenever she tried to catch his eye. Ron didn't seem to be in speaking terms with either Harry or Ginny and he was often in an angry mood. Harry and Ginny both looked very guilty and sad. Hermione asked them about it but they wouldn't tell her. 

One morning, Hermione went downstairs to the Great Hall and found Ron eating by himself in the Gryffindor table. 

"Good morning." She greeted.

"Hi." Ron mumbled.

"God Ron, why are you so mad at Harry and Ginny?" Hermione asked frankly. "What did they do now?"

Ron suddenly turned bright red. The image of Harry lying on top of Ginny flashed back in his mind. "I was in the boys' dorm and then they came in and started y-you know…"

"WHAT?" Hermione shrieked. 

"No, no they didn't do _it_…" Ron added quickly. "I just caught Harry lying on top of Ginny-" Hermione's mouth opened in shock. "But they were only snogging. Don't worry. I'm glad my sister wasn't stupid enough to get carried away…"

Hermione was speechless. "You're joking right? Harry and Ginny…" Ron still had the same solemn look he had. "I can't believe it…well…I understand why you would be furious with them but I'm sure Harry didn't mean to do anything bad to Ginny."

"I know, I know." Ron said in an annoyed tone. "He apologized to me 50 times now. But Ginny's my sister…I don't think you guys understand how I feel about this."

"But we try Ron, we really do." Hermione told him.

"It's different. You understand me but you don't _know _how I _feel_." Ron argued. He saw a hurt look cross Hermione's face and he softened up a bit. He couldn't bear to see Hermione being sad or hurt. "Sorry. I'm just a little stressed that's all…"

"It's ok, I understand." Hermione smiled. She suddenly realized how much she missed Ron. She remembered all the good times they had together. But then, deep inside here, there was a longing for someone else. And that someone was Draco. _No, stop yourself Hermione. He's rude, mean, and obnoxious and he will **never **like you!_ She told herself. Her and Ron spent the rest of breakfast together. Then, Ron went to Divination while Hermione went to Arithmancy. 

During lunchtime, a small, gray owl dropped a note for Hermione. She quickly opened it and read:

__

Granger,

We need to get something done for the school soon. I don't want to be known as one of the lamest head boys ever. I don't know about you but I certainly don't. We can discuss this privately in the empty classroom in the second floor at 9:00. When we figure out what to do, we can tell the prefects about it. If you don't show up, I'll do whatever I want and I won't care about what you say. 

Malfoy

"Who's it from?" Ginny (who was sitting beside Hermione) asked. 

"Oh. From professor Dumbledore." Hermione answered quickly. She didn't want Ginny to ask questions so she lied.

"Alright." Ginny nodded, feeling satisfied with Hermione's answer. Ron was sitting elsewhere and Harry was quieter than usual.

Hermione couldn't stand the awkward silence and said, "So Harry, how's quidditch?" 

"Fine." Harry answered.

"I heard you became captain. Is that true?" 

Harry nodded. 

"Congratulations." Hermione smiled. Harry nodded and continued to eat his lunch. "Listen, I know what happened and I know why Ron is furious with you two. Don't worry, just give it time to pass."

Ginny had tears in her eyes. "Oh Hermione! We didn't mean to! Honest! We really love each other…you know that don't you?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "I think your love for each other is nothing but beautiful, pure and passionate." Ginny blushed and smiled. Harry turned bright red. 

Suddenly Ginny said, "You know what Herm? I wish you and my stubborn brother would get married. He'd need someone like you to show him how stupid he can be sometimes." And with this, Hermione blushed and laughed.

*~*~*

That night, Hermione and Ron were walking up to the Gryffindor room. They were talking about schoolwork, Snape, the Slytherins and Malfoy. 

"I feel sorry for you." Ron was saying. "I can't believe he's head boy! What was Dumbledore thinking?"  
Hermione said skeptically, "Maybe he sees something in Dra – Malfoy – that we don't."

Ron frowned. "Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for that git! Remember how he acted like such a prick around you? Remember all the times he called you 'mud…'you know…"

"It's alright, Ron." Hermione said. "Maybe he's insecure and he's hiding something."

Finally, they reached the common room.

"Aren't you coming inside?" Ron asked.

"No. I – I –er – have some patrolling to do." Hermione excused herself. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Good-bye." Ron said, feeling slightly disappointed. He had been looking forward to spend time with Hermione. For some reason, he leaned forward and gave her a quick hug.

"Uh…thanks Ron." Hermione said unsurely, though she _did_ like the feeling of being in Ron's strong arms.

Ron turned bright red, said the password, and went in the common room. Hermione sighed and went downstairs. She passed by the ghost of Nearly headless Nick and Peeves. 

"Ummm, sir Nicholas…do you know where the empty classroom in the second floor is?" Hermione asked.

"Of course my dear!" Sir Nicholas beamed. "You go straight down the stairs, turn left, go straight in the hallway, turn right and make a left at the first corner. Then you'll see a long line of doors. Go to the very last one and there you are!"

"My, my, miss Granger! Sneaking off into empty classrooms! What are you going to do in there hmmm?" Peeves asked.

"It's none of our concern Peeves." Nick said. "Let's go. I hope you find it Miss Granger." 

"Thank you." Hermione said politely. _Man, why did Malfoy have to pick a room that's so far!_ She thought. _He better be there by the time I get there! _She went down the stairs, turned left, went straight down the hallway, turned right and made a left. She felt quite nervous because Hogwarts seemed pretty spooky when it was all quiet and dimly lighted. She slowly walked to the last door in the empty hallway. Her legs felt tired from all the walking she had done all day. She slowly opened the door and saw a dark, shadowy figure sitting on top of a table.

"Malfoy? Is that you?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"Took you long enough to get here, Granger." The voice snickered. The figure turned around and Hermione saw Malfoy's face. Draco was carrying a small lantern.

"Why did you want to meet me here? I had to ask Nearly headless Nick for directions and I'm quite tired and - " Hermione kept ranting but then Draco stood up and walked towards her. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her slim body.

He took a deep breath and smelled her hair. "Hermione…I – I brought you here because I wanted to tell you something." He looked down at her. Hermione gazed at his bright, silver eyes. "I've been watching you ever since our 4th year…you've certainly changed from a plain miss-know-it-all to a beautiful, smart woman."

"Mal - " Hermione began. Her brain told her arms to push Draco away, but for some reason, they wouldn't listen.

"I don't know what I feel for you…but I wish you felt the same way as I do." Draco said. His face slowly came down and was merely 2 inches away from Hermione's. "I think I love you."

Hermione was shocked. _Push him away! Get out of here Hermione!_ She was telling herself but she felt petrified. "Why are y-you acting all nice to me, huh Malfoy?" Her voice quivered. She suddenly felt weak. Draco leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. Hermione heard him drop the lantern and it was dark. Everything else seemed like a blur.

A/n: Ahhh! Here's a list of thank yous to:

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Sabrina Weasley – you'll find the answer to your question soon!

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RonsInnerVoice – hey I updated today! I'm glad you like my story! I reviewed on one of your fics too!

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Aries11 – Yay! Thank you for liking my story too!

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Karri-Granger – thanks for the compliment!

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RonandHerm4eva – Thank you!!!!!

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Mariët – aww shucks you make me feel special lol

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DonL – yes this is my first time writing a full-fledged story. I wrote a short, two chapter fic and I uploaded it. Check it out if you want!

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Lupin's Niece AJ – Yes I'm writing more! I just wanted to get more reviews!

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Brit – yes I will

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****ME**** - are you the same person as 'me'? if you're not, then thanks for liking my fic!

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Me – I like my story too! lol. Thanks to you too!


	5. Finally, you’re here

A/n: Hey! I decided to update two chaps today since I was bored. I'm going to try to update this every 2-3 or days or 1-week max! Please review too! Also, is Blaise Zabini a boy or a girl? In some fanfics, they say she/he is a girl and in some they say he/she is a boy. She/he must be like, bisexual..

Disclaimer: I wish Harry Potter belonged to be but it doesn't…*tear*

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**Chapter five**

Hermione slowly woke up. She suddenly remembered everything that happened the night before. How she went in the classroom and found Draco there. How Draco told her he loved her. No, how he THOUGHT he loved her. She remembered the long, passionate kiss they had. Draco had wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly at first. Hermione wanted to push him away and leave but she couldn't. She felt as if that kiss was what was lacking in her. It made her feel complete. It made her feel loved. _Oh no! What would the teachers say if they find us in the empty classroom!_ She suddenly realized. She looked around and saw that she was in the prefects/head boy/girl common room. _Phew!_ She sighed. Draco must've carried her back Thank goodness. 

She got up and decided to go to her room. Luckily, it was a Saturday and that meant there were no classes. She saw Beth and the other prefect girls sleeping soundly. She took some clothes and took a quick shower in the bathroom. Then, she combed her hair and went to the Great Hall. She was feeling extremely hungry. 

Suddenly, someone's hand wrapped around her waist.

"Hey, Hermione!" Ron grinned. 

"Oh, hey there Ron. I didn't see you coming." Hermione said uncertainly.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"N-nothing. I just didn't get enough sleep that's all." Hermione smiled weakly. She slowly took Ron's hand away from her waist. "Come on, let's get some breakfast."

Ron nodded and followed her. 

"Where's Harry and Ginny?" Hermione asked. 

"Harry's still sleeping and I don't know where Ginny is." Ron replied. "And you'll be happy to know, Harry and I played some Wizard's chess last night."

"That's wonderful!" Hermione smiled. "Forgive and forget…" Suddenly her eyes wandered around the Slytherin table. She saw Malfoy, sitting beside Pansy Parkinson who was fluttering her eyes at him. _Forgive and forget,_ she thought. _But it's so hard_…Malfoy eventually caught her gaze. They kept eye contact until Pansy said, "What are you looking at Drakie dear?" 

"Hermione? Is there something bothering you?" Ron asked after a long moment of silence. Hermione seemed nervous and quiet. 

"What? No I don't like butter on my bread…" Hermione answered in a flat voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, giving her a puzzled look.

"Didn't you just ask me if my bread needing buttering?" Hermione asked, returning Ron's look.

"Yeah. I did…" Ron nodded. He knew Hermione was hiding something, but why won't he tell her? They usually trusted each other with secrets. _You're a tough cookie,_ Ron thought. _But I can still crack you._

~          *          ~          *          ~          *

            Ron kept a close watch on Hermione all day except when she had Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Ruins or when Ron had Divination. She didn't do anything strange all day. Sometimes, Ron often saw her gazing in Draco Malfoy's direction, but he figured it was because she wanted to see what was going on outside, since Malfoy's chair was near the tiny window. 

            During lunch, Hermione sat and happily ate her lunch with Ginny. Someone owled her, (she claimed it was from Professor Mcgongall) and continued eating. Nothing strange about that…

            That night, Hermione was spending some time in the Gryffindor common room. Then she stood up and excused herself. 

            "I have to patrol the school and make sure that nobody's walking around the halls at night." She told him. 

            "Be careful." Ron said. "See you in the morning."

            "G'bye." Hermione nodded. She caught a glimpse of Harry and Ginny sitting very close to each other on the couch. She giggled and went out the room. Then, she saw Alyson and Sam flirting with each other in the hallway.

            "Ahem!" Hermione coughed. "I think you two should be getting back to work." 

            Alyson mumbled something that sounded a lot like, 'bitch' and walked away. Sam turned bright red and pretended nothing happened. Hermione smiled and continued on her way. 

            Finally, she reached her destination. She opened the door to the classroom and peered in. Malfoy was already there, waiting for her. 

            "Finally, you're here." Malfoy grinned as he stood up to greet her. They wrapped their arms around each other for a long time.

            Then, Hermione let go. "Draco…"

            "What's wrong?" Draco asked, feeling very concerned.

            "I'm not sure about this. I mean, Ron's been spying on me for some reason. I think he suspects something." Hermione told him. She seemed worried. "I wanna be able to spend more time with you. I don't wanna do it in secret." 

            "So do I, Herm." Draco whispered as he kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I wish I could tell the whole world how much I care for you. But our reputations…you wouldn't want that ruined do you? And besides, Potty and Weasel – I mean – Harry and Ron – aren't exactly good friends with me."

            Hermione nodded. She pulled Draco closer to her. "I wish people didn't have to be so cruel." Suddenly, she heard a slow song playing. "What the?" She looked up at Draco who was smiling.

            "You're not the only one who knows lots about magic." Draco grinned. 

_I need a love that grows, I don't want it unless I know_

_With each passing hour someone, somehow _

_Will be there, ready to share _

            "Oh my gosh! This song…" Hermione smiled. Draco began to sway her around the room. 

            "I knew you'd like this song. I dedicate it to you." Draco answered. "I heard this once, when I was on a taxi with father. It's a sweet song."

_I need a love that's strong I'm so tired of being alone_

_But will my lonely heart, _

_Play the part Of the fool again, before I begin _

            "It's kind of old for our 'generation', if you know what I mean." Hermione snorted. 

            Draco laughed. Hermione felt her knees go weak again. 

_Foolish heart, hear me calling _

_Stop before you start falling _

_Foolish heart, heed my warning _

_You've been wrong before Don't be wrong anymore _

            "Everything in this song is true." Draco told her. He kissed her on the forehead again. 

            Hermione blushed. "This song is too fast to get all sentimental in. Let's **_dance_**!"

_Feeling that feeling again playing a game I can't win _

_Love's knocking on the door of my heart once more _

_Think I'll let her in Before I begin _

She put her right hand on Draco's shoulder and took Draco's right hand away from her waist. Then, with her left hand, Hermione grabbed Draco's right hand and stretched it out, as if they were doing the tango.

            Draco laughed. "What kind of dance is this?"

            "I have no idea!" Hermione giggled.

_Foolish heart, hear me calling _

_Stop before, you start falling_

_Foolish heart, heed my warning _

_You've been wrong before don't be wrong anymore _

_Foolish heart foolish, foolish heart _

_You've been wrong before _

Then, Draco started spinning Hermione around. Hermione was laughing hysterically. 

            "Shh! Someone might hear you!" Draco reminded her.

            "Oh yeah. I forgot." Hermione remembered. She took both of Draco's hands and they began spinning wildly around the room. Eventually they got tired and lay down on the floor.

_Foolish heart, hear me calling _

_Stop before you start falling _

_Foolish heart, heed my warning you've been wrong before _

_Don't be wrong anymore, foolish heart _

_Oh foolish, foolish heart you've been wrong before _

_Foolish, foolish heart, foolish heart_

            Hermione lay her head on Draco's shoulder while Draco held her hand. They were quiet for a few moments.

            Finally, Draco said, "You wouldn't believe it, but I went out with Pansy last summer."

            Hermione laughed. "Draco! I didn't think she would be your type. Oh well, I didn't think _I'd_ be your type either…"

            Draco grinned. "That's why I'm so happy that I met you. Like in the song, foolish heart, I wish that my heart's not wrong this time."

            Hermione smiled at him. Then they both leaned forward for a long awaited kiss. 

            "How could I have lived without you, Hermione?" Draco asked.

            "I don't know. How could I have ever lived without _you?_" Hermione said. They hugged each other and treasured the moment they spent together. 

A/n: HAHAHAHA! Don't worry! This is a Ron/Hermione but that doesn't come until later so please be patient with me! Also, please review! I'll really appreciate it!


	6. D’you want me to come with you?

A/n: Yay! More reviews! You guys love me a lot don't you? Hehehe just kidding! There's going to be another list of thank yous at the bottom so look for your name!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter or anything that has anything to do with Harry Potter is…not mine…

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Chapter six

Ron noticed that Hermione seemed nervous but happy all the time. Not that it was a bad thing of course, he _loved _to see Hermione smile, but it was quite unusual. Ron also noticed that Hermione and Draco seemed to keep eye contact with each other almost 24/7. This time, Ron decided to become even more thorough with his spying. But first, he needed a little something from Harry.

"Harry, are you gonna use your invisibility cloak tonight?" Ron asked.

Harry looked at him suspiciously from his bed. "What on earth do you need it for?"

"Oh, nothing." Ron said. "I just wanted to uh…"

"You're spying on Hermione aren't you?" Harry grinned. Ron opened his mouth to explain but Harry cut him off. "Don't even _try _to explain, ok Ron because anyone, even Crabbe and Goyle, can tell how obsessed you are about her."

"Bu-" Ron began again but Harry merely smiled and said, "Yes you can borrow my cloak, just as long as you don't get into any trouble now."

"Of course not!" Ron assured him. 

"D'you want me to come with you?" Harry asked.

"N – no I'll be fine don't worry about a thing." Ron said. He wanted to find out about what Hermione was doing by himself. 

~*~*~*

"Be careful out there, Ron!" Ginny said worriedly. "If that Malfoy git or any of the other prefects caught you, you'll be cleaning dirty cauldrons for weeks!"

"Don't worry about me, Ginny. I'll do fine." Ron said confidently. "I just need to find out what she's doing."

"But don't you think it's kinda wrong of us to go snooping around her business like this?" Ginny said. "I mean, she has the right to keep secrets from us you know."

"Well not from me." Ron said firmly. "Hermione and I share a different relationship. Something you won't understand."

"Ron, I kinda agree with Ginny actually." Harry told him. "I mean, I don't mean to burst your bubble or disappoint you or anything, but are you positively sure that Hermione likes you back?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ron demanded. 

"I mean, maybe she might be seeing another bloke but she hasn't told us." Harry thought. "Or maybe-"

"Are you saying that Hermione is a lesbian?" Ron yelled.

"NO I'm not saying that!" Harry answered quickly. "I'm just saying…"

"He doesn't want your feelings to get hurt." Ginny finished for him. She looked at Ron with kind, worried eyes. "Be careful out there ok. Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?"

"Yes." Ron answered. He suddenly felt angry with Harry and Ginny. _They don't have confidence in me,_ Ron thought. _They think I won't make it. They think I'm not strong enough to do this. Well I'll prove them wrong!_ "It'll be faster if I go alone and I don't wanna get you guys into trouble. Bye."

Ron sneaked outside the Gryffindor tower and put on the cloak. He went down the stairs and saw the Blood Baron, the Slytherin ghost, pass bye. He walked around and searched for Hermione. He saw Lavander and Susan Bones patrolling one of the hallways.

"Did you hear something?" Susan asked. She looked around carefully.

"No." Lavender said. She was applying some lipstick and was gazing at her reflection through her compact. "You're imagining things again, Susan. Nobody's here. Come on, let's search the other hallway." 

"I'm pretty sure I heard something…" Susan said doubtfully but she followed after Lavender. Ron sighed and looked through the classroom doors. They were all dark and empty. _Where's Hermione?_ Ron thought. Suddenly, he saw a figure, a girl, running in the hallway. _There she is!_ Ron thought. Hermione was carrying a lantern and was looking around as if to make sure nobody was following her. _Where's she going?_ Ron wondered. He decided to follow her.

After about 10 minutes of walking, Ron felt his legs get tired_. Is Hermione trying to lose weight or something? This is getting pretty exhausting…_Then, Hermione carefully opened a classroom door at the end of the hallway. Ron curiously tiptoed and peered in the room. Hermione placed her lantern on a table and sat down on the floor. _What in bloody hell is she doing in here?_ Ron asked himself. Hermione stood up from the table and began walking back and forth in the classroom. She started humming a song Ron didn't recognize.

"What on earth am I doing here, waiting for _him_?" Hermione asked herself loudly. She let out an exasperated sigh. _Who's him?_ Ron asked himself. Hermione leaned back against the wall and started sliding down. After a few minutes, she stood up and took her lantern. Ron stepped out of the way as she walked to the door, let out another sigh, and stepped outside. Ron followed her swiftly. For the rest of the night, Hermione searched around the castle and made sure nobody was sneaking out. _Wow,_ Ron thought. _I'm so glad Hermione's head girl. She does an extremely good job. _Eventually, Hermione started climbing up the stairs to go back to her quarters. She still had that disappointed look on her face. Ron had the urge to go inside the room and follow her but he didn't. He could've done it very easily but he controlled himself and went back to the Gryffindor room. 

As Ron went down the stairs, he slipped and went tumbling down. Unfortunately, Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris, were around.

"Who's there?" Filch demanded. "I thought these bloody students would learn their lesson about not sneaking out during the night!" 

Mrs. Norris hissed at Ron. Filch came and walked to his cat. "There's nobody there Mrs. Norris. I think the bloody prats went that way. Let's go!"

Mrs. Norris eyed Ron, then followed her master. Ron let out a sigh of relief and hurried back to the common room. But there was still one question that he couldn't answer…who was Hermione waiting for?

~*~*~*

Hermione slowly went to her dorm. She felt extremely disappointed. She waited for Draco in the classroom as usual but Draco didn't show up. _I wonder what happened, maybe he was busy, _Hermione thought. _I know he wouldn't do it on purpose_…Hermione continued on her way to her room but she had a strange feeling that someone was following her. When she went to her room, she quickly changed into her pajamas and rested her head on her pillow. _Draco **better** have an explanation for me tomorrow…_

A/n: Anyway, you know what you guys have to do now and that's REVIEW! Here's the thank you list:

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Andie – I know! Draco's being so sweet its hard not to love him.

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Kelpiemonkey – thank you you're too kind hehehe

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Karri-Granger – yes I'm writing more! I hope you liked this chap.

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RonsInnerVoice – yay you're back and you reviewed again! Don't worry, Ron and Hermione will get together.

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Hermandron4ever – Of course they'll be together! They're BORN for each other

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Follow the Butterflies – hehehe who WOULDN'T wanna see Draco topless hehehe just kidding there. I reviewed one of your fics by the way but I don't remember which one. Thanks for reviewing!


	7. Why can’t Hermione and I have what they ...

A/n: Wow I haven't updated for quite a while! I've been kind of busy lately so I'll try my best to make this a good chap! Thank you's at the bottom! Oh I changed my Author name by the way. 

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah we all know I own Harry Potter…NOT

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Chapter seven

The next morning, Hermione went to breakfast as usual. Ron, however, was looking at her strangely but she decided to ignore him. After that, she went to her classes and her whole routine went fine as usual. She tried to catch Draco's eye once or twice in Potions class but he seemed jumpy and he avoided her. 

That night, she decided to have a talk with Draco. They were going to patrol together near the entrance doors and she thought it would be a perfect place to have a chat.

"Erm, Hermione, who exactly are you patrolling with tonight?" Ron asked her.

"Dra – Malfoy." She answered. Ron frowned. "Please Ron, you know he's head boy and all…"

Ron shrugged his shoulders and walked away. 

"Good bye to you too." Hermione called after him sarcastically. She walked to the entrance doors and was disappointed to find out that Draco wasn't there yet. She sighed and began to walk around. _What's taking him so long?_ She wondered. 

About 30 minutes later, Draco came, panting and sweating.

"What took you so long to get here, Malfoy?" Hermione demanded. "You should've been here 30 minutes ago!" 

"I – I caught some students doing some funny business on my way." Draco said between breaths. "S – sorry."

Hermione was still frowning at him. "Why didn't you show up yesterday?"

"Shh!" Draco hushed. He carefully looked around to make sure nobody was around. "I'm so absolutely sorry about that, hon. I couldn't leave Crabbe and Goyle. They wouldn't stop pestering me."

"Why were you avoiding me today?" Hermione asked again. 

"Was I?" Draco asked, looking innocent. "I'm sorry if I was, babe. It'll never happen again." 

Hermione stared back at him, wondering if she should believe him or not. But his eyes…his magical, mystifying eyes, seemed to trance her. Finally, she smiled and said, "Alright. Sorry for going all crazy on you."

Draco smiled and hugged her. "I'll never, **_ever_** try to hurt you Hermione. In any way." Hermione looked at him and they shared a long, sweet kiss. Then, they spent the rest of the night together, strolling in the hallways to make it seem like they were doing their duty.

~*~*~*

Soon, Christmas was coming up. Malfoy and Hermione decided to have a Christmas ball. 

"This won't be just any ordinary ball." Hermione told them. "You must dress up as something from a Christmas song. For example, if you pick 'Jingle Bells' as your song, then you should either wear a bell, or something that will represent that song." 

There was a loud chatter of excitement among the students. Hermione looked pleased because the students liked her idea.

"The ball will be two weeks from now, at 7:00 PM. Celestina Warbeck and the Weird Sisters are coming and also the new singer, Starlight." Hermione added. 

"Also, the ball is only for 3rd years and up." Draco said. There was a loud groan from the 1st years and 2nd years. "Professor Mcgonagall insisted it. If you're in 1st or 2nd year and a 3rd year and up asks you, then you can go." There was a sigh of relief from everyone. "That is all."

"I believe this Christmas ball will be a huge success, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy." Professor Dumbledore beamed at them. Hermione blushed. Then she sat back down with the rest of the Gryffindors. 

~*~*~*

Ron and Harry went upstairs to the common room. Hermione didn't have to patrol today but she felt tired and she said she wanted to rest. 

"So, are you gonna ask her out?" Harry asked casually.

"Who? Where?" Ron asked.

"You know who I'm talking about." Harry snorted. 

"I don't know Harry! It's not easy for me to go up to a girl and say, _'I like you, wanna go to the ball with me?'_" Ron sighed. Then he grinned. "I bet you're going with my sister huh."

Harry's ears suddenly turned red. "Yeah. But that's not the point!"

"Don't you EVER do anything to her when you think I'm not watching Harry." Ron warned him. "Because I know everything."  
Harry laughed and thought, _oh no you don't_. "Well _are _you gonna ask Herm to the ball?"

Ron didn't answer and they reached the common room. As Ron and Harry entered the room, they saw Ginny sitting with Dean Thomas on the couch, laughing and talking. Harry suddenly turned red. He marched up to them with a frown. 

"Ginny, what the hell are you doing?" Harry demanded.

"Talking to Dean. What do you think?" Ginny spat. She was turning red too. "Can't I talk to my friends?" 

Harry suddenly loosened up. "Sorry Gin, I shouldn't have gone out of control like that."

Ginny smiled and nodded. "It's ok. I won't lie that I get jealous when you talk to other girls too." Then, Harry leaned forward and they shared a long kiss. There was a loud whistle and cheers and teases from the Gryffindors who saw.

"Get a room!" Someone teased. 

Ron smiled and went to his dorm, thinking, _why can't Hermione and I have what they have?_

~*~*~*

That night, Hermione and Draco were once again, in the empty classroom. They were lying beside each other and were gazing at each other's eyes.

"So, are we finally going to show the public how much we care for each other?" Hermione asked. "I know blokes usually ask the girls, but…" She held Draco's face closer to hers. "Do you wanna go to the Christmas ball with me?"

Draco looked a little surprised. "Well, listen, Herm…" Hermione took her hands of Draco and turned around. She felt extremely angry.

"If you don't wanna go, then don't." Hermione spat. 

"No, you don't understand." Draco pleaded. "I **_do_** wanna go with you. But, I just don't think it's a good time to show everyone about our little secret yet." He put his arm around Hermione's waist. "You know how Potty and especially that red head, react when they see me."

Hermione answered, "I don't care about them! And if you really loved me, then you wouldn't care either." 

Draco was taken aback. That was true. Hermione had a good point. "I'm sorry Hermione. But I just don't think it's a good idea. I hope you understand. I have a reputation to uphold. Besides, I'll see you after the ball and we can do whatever we want." He nibbled against her ear. 

Hermione turned around and they kissed. "I understand, Draco. I love you too much do be angry at you for long." Hermione smiled. Little did she know that she'll regret those words in the future…

A/n: Well I hope you guys liked that chapter. Don't worry it's STILL R/H so please don't get mad at me!

Thank you to:

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HermioneG15 - I know it's weird. It's not just wrong, but it's weird! But I had to put it there to make it more interesting. 

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Arynnl – Yes…poor Ron indeed. 

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RonsInnerVoice – I'm so happy you still read my stories!


	8. I think you went too far

A/n: Yay. Thanks for the reviews again guys. I expected more but beggars can't be choosers! Also, this is important, **I had to change all the names of the prefects** because I remembered that 5th years were prefects, NOT 7th years. Sorry about that. Well I decided to update early today. I planned to update once a week or something but I was so busy and all…ugh…school and all that. Well, let's get on with the story!

Disclaimer: Honestly, do I still have to write I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER so many times?

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Chapter eight

The next few days were nerve wrecking for everyone. Boys were nervously asking girls to go to the upcoming ball with them. Girls were patiently waiting and hoping for the boys the liked to ask them. Some girls, however, were courageous enough to ask the men instead. One of those girls was Hermione. 

Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Harry were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. Suddenly, Harry brought up the subject of the Christmas ball.

"How did you come up with the idea, Herm?" Harry inquired. "You _did _come up with it right? I doubt Malfoy would think of anything for the students."  
Hermione laughed. "Yes I did. He was skeptical about it - " _but I kissed him to convince him,_ she thought sneakily. "And he eventually agreed. Besides, the prefects were keen on it."

"D'you have a date yet?" Ginny asked. She gave Ron a quick wink and Ron blushed furiously. 

Hermione shook her head. "I reckon you're going with Harry?" Ginny nodded shyly. Hermione turned to Ron and said, "Alright then. Ron, do you wanna go with me? Or are you going with som - "

"No it's perfect." Harry interrupted. He grinned at Ron. 

"Uh…y-yes. Sure I'd love to, I mean, why not?" Ron stammered. He was bright red.

"Good." Hermione smiled_. I don't wanna end up by myself while Draco's dancing with that bitch, Pansy._ "Well, I think I oughta go now. See you guys tomorrow." She stood up and walked away. Then, she turned around and looked back. "Oh and Ron, your fly is flying pretty damn low." 

As Hermione went away, Ron was busily zipping up his pants while Harry and Ginny were roaring with laughter. 

~*~*~

When Hermione reached the Head common room, Sam and Draco were chatting. "Go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow you two." Hermione scolded.

"Well I'm a head too, you know." Draco snapped. Sam and I'll sleep later. **_You_** obviously need your beauty rest. You'll need a lot of it, considering what you look like."

Hermione's mouth hung open and she rushed to her room. She heard Sam and Malfoy snickering but she ignored them. She took off her robe and revealed a tight, black T-shirt and loose cargo pants. She found her pajamas with broomstick designs on them from her closet. Then, she took her shirt off. Suddenly, the door opened.

"Woohoo! I guess I came at the perfect time." A voice teased.

Hermione turned around and frowned. "You should stop using the 'Alohamora' charm to open my door. What you said to me in front of Sam was extremely rude! I think you went too far."

Malfoy closed the door and locked it. He walked to Hermione and put his hands on her waist. "Sorry, babe. I had to put on a show. Don't worry, everyone's sleeping…" He gently nibbled on her ear. Then, he started kissing her neck all the way down her shoulders. 

"Draco, not now. I'm tired." Hermione said as she tried to push him away.

"Why? _I'm_ not tired." Malfoy insisted. His arms were going up and down her back. He kissed her neck again and then her lips. Their lips opened and they explored each other's mouths. Then, they lay on Hermione's bed with Draco on top of Hermione.

"Draco, please. That's enough for today." Hermione argued as she pulled away from Malfoy.

Draco looked annoyed but he stood up and got off Hermione. "Fine, you win this time."

Hermione smiled. "Thanks. Don't worry, we're patrolling tomorrow. You know what that means." Draco laughed and gave her a quick kiss.

"Who are you going to the ball with?" Draco asked. He sat beside Hermione on the bed and hugged her.

"Ron." Hermione told him. "I knew he wanted to ask me but he's too shy so I asked him myself. Are you going with that whore, Pansy?"

"Yeah." Draco nodded. "She may be a whore but she's pretty hot. She has a nice body."

"Nicer than mine?" Hermione scoffed. She stood up and put her hands on her waist. She had a nice, curvy figure and was wearing a red bra.

Draco licked his lips. "She's not even close." Hermione laughed and kissed Draco on the forehead. 

"I better go." Malfoy said. "Someone might look for me in my room."

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Hermione reluctantly agreed. Draco gave her one last kiss on the forehead and left. Hermione quickly changed into her pajamas and lay on her bed, dreaming of Draco and dancing at the ball.

A/n: Hi guys! Sorry for the short chap! I didn't wanna put the Ball in this chapter because I wanted to have a whole chapter all about it. Don't worry I'll try my best to update it tomorrow or the day after that. Please review! Thanks to:

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Arynnl – Hey! I hope you like this chapter! I updated just for you hehehe and all my other readers of course… 

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Kelpiemonkey – Yes, foolish heart is an extremely old song…well older than me…I think…but I still think it's pretty sweet! 

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RonsInnerVoice – I feel sorry for Ron too! I'll try to update ASAP! Thanks for reading!


	9. I should stop before I lead him on

A/n: I decided to update earlier than usual again because I wanted to make up for the long wait for the next chapter! I also wanna warn you, **there's more sickening D/H in this chapter** so brace yourself! You can skip it if you want…it disgusted me to write this.

Note: I had to rewrite some parts of this because I forgot that it was supposed to be a dress-up-as-a-song ball. Sorry to those who read this already!

Disclaimer: Ugh please, you all know the routine by now. 

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Chapter Nine

On the day of the Christmas ball, everyone was extremely nervous. The girls were fussing over their clothes, hair, make-up and just about everything. The boys were making sure their breath smelled good and if they wore enough cologne. 

"Ginny! I've never put on make up before!" Hermione whined. "The most I've ever put is lipstick and powder."

"Don't worry, Herm. I'm a pro at this." Ginny assured her. She and Hermione were in Hermione's room, doing Hermione's make up. "You saw how I did mine easily."

Hermione looked unsure. "Well, you're naturally pretty. I don't want to look like a clown!"

Ginny laughed. "Oh shush. You sound as if you don't trust me."  
"I don't." Hermione said sarcastically.

"Ugh." Ginny replied, pretending to be insulted. She put a towel over Hermione's white gown. "Close your eyes and don't open until I say so."

Hermione nodded and shut her eyes tightly. About 10 minutes later, Ginny said, "Open them now!" Hermione slowly opened her eyes and was amazed. She looked extremely exquisite and well…she had to admit…stunning.

Her hair was neatly cascading down her back. It wasn't bushy but it had curly locks instead. She had white powder all over her face and she cast a spell on her nose to make it look like a carrot. She was dressed up supposedly as Frosty the Snowman. She added stuffing in her gown to make her body round. She was also wearing a sapphire necklace.

"Wait till Ron sees how beautiful you look." Ginny giggled. Ginny on the other hand, was dressed up as Rudolph, the reindeer. Hermione put a spell on her nose to make it red and shiny. Ginny also wore a headband with antlers sticking out and she wore a brown dress and high-heeled shoes. "I wouldn't talk Ginny. Just make sure Harry doesn't get _too _excited." Hermione teased. Ginny gave her a friendly slap and they applied some perfume on. Then they went downstairs. On their way, the came across Malfoy. He was looking funny in his green robes and green painted face.

"Well if it isn't Granger and the red head." Malfoy snickered. However, he couldn't keep himself from staring at Hermione who was smiling proudly.

"Excuse us, Malfoy. We don't have time to waste on ferrets like you." Hermione grinned. 

"What on earth are you two supposed to be?" Malfoy demanded.

"I'm Rudolph, the reindeer and Hermione's Frosty the snowman." Ginny explained. "And what are _you_?"

"The grinch who stole christmas." Malfoy snickered. 

"It fits you perfectly. I knew I recognized you because you look the same in the movie." Hermione joked. 

Ginny laughed and walked ahead. Hermione gave Malfoy a quick pinch on the cheek and followed her.

"What's a movie?" Ginny asked as Hermione caught up to her.

"It's a motion picture. It's hard to explain." Hermione said.

"Oh." Ginny said. Then, the two girls met up with harry and Ron in the Great Hall. Harry was dressed up as Santa Claus and was wearing a fluffy white beard and he added some pillows on his chest. He wore a read sweater, a black belt and red pants.

"Let's go, Gin." Harry smiled as he linked his arm to Ginny's. He looked at Ginny and said, "Wow. You look absolutely beautiful. Did you know that?"

"Duh." Ginny joked as she waltzed away with Harry. She turned back and saw Ron drooling at Hermione again.

"Ron, my face is up here." Hermione teased.

"Y-yeah. I was looking at your necklace." Ron excused. "They're – it's – big – er – lovely."

Hermione laughed. "What are you supposed to be?"

"I was supposed to be a bell from the jingle bells song but I didn't have time to make a costume." Ron explained. He was wearing yellow robes and had a stick sticking out from his head.

"That's alright. I don't mind." Hermione smiled.

"Good." Ron smiled. Hermione smiled back as he put his arm on her waist and they walked to the dancing area. Some students were dancing to a fast song. The tables were removed so there was a huge space in the center for dancing. There were smaller tables at the side and a bigger table at the corner where there was food and drinks. In the exact center, there was a 60 feet tall Christmas tree, decorated with bows and sashes and beads and pearls and candles and other wonderful ornaments. At the very top was a star shining brightly. There was also floating candles with red and green ribbons around them. There were also elves dressed as Santa's workers who gave away free food and chocolate. 

Hermione caught a glimpse of Draco and Pansy, happily flirting. Hermione felt jealous but had to admit that Pansy looked pretty in her dark violet gown_. She's not even wearing a proper costume!_ Hermione thought.

"S-so, d-d-do you wanna dance?" Ron asked Hermione. He began to turn red again.

"Sure." Hermione nodded. Ron carefully pulled her close as she put her arms around his neck. Hermione could still see Draco and Pansy giggling with Draco's arm around Pansy. _So that's how you wanna play huh?_ Hermione thought. _Well two can play at that game._ "Hold me closer." Hermione whispered.

Ron's crystal blue eyes widened. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. Go on." Hermione nodded. He pulled her closer to him and their faces were only inches apart. Celestina Warbeck began singing a slow song. Ron could smell Hermione's perfume. _This feels so right_, he thought. He was gazing at her but she seemed to be looking at something else. All Ron wanted to do was hug her and tell her how much he loved her and adored her. He saw Ginny and Harry giggling at the corner of his eye. _How lucky they are_, he thought enviously.

Hermione saw Malfoy pull Pansy closer. How she wished she was in his arms instead. Then, without warning, Hermione tiptoed, closed her eyes and leaned forward and kissed Ron's lips. Ron closed his eyes and felt as if time stopped and that he was dreaming. But here he was, in the Christmas Ball on his 7th year, kissing the girl he loved. He pulled her closer and kissed her back fiercely.

Hermione was amazed. Ron's kiss seemed so needy. It was different from Draco's sweet, romantic ones. _I should stop before I lead him on, _she thought but something was preventing her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Draco's jaw drop. _Perfect_, she thought. As the song ended, she pulled away from Ron who still had his eyes closed.

"Hermione, I - " Ron began but Hermione put a finger on his lips. 

"Shhh." She whispered. "I'll be back. I have to go to the ladies' room." She walked away from Ron and saw Malfoy follow her from a distance. She turned to a dark hallway and waited. Then, Malfoy came.

"What was that all about?" Draco demanded. "Why did you kiss that Weasley?"

"Why were you flirting with that big headed bitch then?" Hermione snapped.

"That's different." Draco said defensively. "I can't help it if she worships me. But you…"

"I only gave Ron what he wanted." Hermione fought back. "Nobody said there's anything bad with being generous."

****

Ok I'm warning you guys! Go on if you want to be disgusted!

"Shut up Granger." Malfoy spat. He cornered Hermione into a wall and looked at her intensely. "Why do you have to look so damn beautiful tonight?" He leaned forward to kiss her but stopped. "Can you somehow, magic this ridiculous carrot away from my face?"

Hermione giggled. "Of course." She took out her wand and said, "_Nasalus disappearus!_" Her nose shrank back to normal size and color. "Wait a second, I have to do something to you too." She pointed her wand at his face and said, "_Cleasorus!_" The green paint on Draco disappeared. Draco smiled and pressed his lips against hers as she wrapped her arms around him. They kissed passionately for a few minutes until Hermione broke off.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"Nobody's gonna be at the Head rooms tonight…" Hermione suggested. Draco nodded and smiled. He lifted her up and carried her to the Head room. Then, they went to Draco's room and locked the door. Draco lay Hermione on the bed and they continued kissing. Eventually, they felt hot. Draco took off his shirt and Hermione unzipped her gown and threw her pillows everywhere.

****

This is your last warning!

They continued kissing for hours. Then, Draco did something unexpected. He pulled down Hermione's gown, leaving her with nothing but her underwear. Hermione pulled off from the kiss and looked at him mischievously. She unzipped his pants and revealed dark red boxers.

"Oohhh! Very classy." Hermione teased. Draco laughed and kissed her neck over and over. Hermione ran her hands through his hair and his back. Draco's hands ran up Hermione's back as well and found her bra. He slowly took it and undid it. Hermione looked at him surprisingly.

"Draco…" She began.

"I want you so bad, Hermione. You have no idea…" Malfoy told her as he took off her bra.

****

Ok glad to have that over with!

Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, Ron sat on one of the chairs by himself. He was patiently waiting for Hermione to come back. A few girls, some he didn't know, asked him to dance. He said no, insisting that he had a date. Ron looked gorgeous in his formal, navy robe and his red hair combed nicely. 

The music quieted down and Professor Dumbledore stood up from front area. "Students! I would just like to congratulate the Head Boy and Girl of this year in making this ball successful." Professor Dumbledore announced. "Let us give a warm hand to Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy." There was a loud applause and cheer for them, but neither of them were there. Ron looked around in case Hermione had returned but failed. "Please carry on with your dance."

Ginny and Harry walked up to Ron. "Where's Herm? Did she come back yet?" Ginny inquired.

"No." Ron yawned. He was starting to feel bored.

"I wonder what's taking her so long." Harry said. "Oh by the way, we saw that lip-lock thing with Hermione. Nice move."

Ron shook his head. "Actually, _she_ made the move."

Ginny looked bewildered. "Wow…who would've thought Hermione had it in her! We told you she liked you!"

"She seemed preoccupied while we were dancing. She kept looking at something." Ron said doubtfully.

"Then, Starlight, a beautiful, blonde haired girl wearing a golden dress announced, "This'll be the last song for the night, so go and ask that guy or girl now before you miss the opportunity!"

Harry offered his hand to Ginny and Ginny gladly accepted. Ron was again, alone by himself when a tall, black-haired girl approached him.

"Would you like to dance, Ron?" The girl asked. She was wearing a turquoise gown with a scarf around her neck.

Ron stared at her. She looked quite attractive. _Well… I doubt Hermione's coming back…there's no point sitting here like a bum,_ he thought to himself. "Alright Lavender." He took Lavender's hand and they made their way to the dance floor. He put his arms around her waist as she put hers around his shoulders. Ron gazed into her charming black eyes. He never noticed how pretty she was. He always thought of her as a ditz.

"Is something wrong?" Lavender wondered.

"No. Everything's fine." Ron answered. The song was about to end when Ron pulled Lavender closer and she rested her head on her chest, 

"Are you supposed to be a mop?" Lavender asked, staring at the stick on Ron's head.

"No, I'm a bell from jingle bells." Ron explained.

Lavender smiled. "Ohhh…that's ok, I didn't get to pick out a good costume either and I wanted to wear this gown so badly." 

"Maybe it's time to move on…" Starlight sang sweetly. _Maybe it **is** time to move on,_ Ron thought. He thought back to all the hours he spent, dreaming of Hermione but she never took notice of him. How many times had he noticed Lavender? Twice? Five times? Who knows?

Then, the song finally ended and everyone clapped in appreciation. "I had a good time dancing with you, Ron." Lavender said shyly. "You're not too bad at dancing."

"You're not too bad yourself." Ron smiled. Soon, the students were leaving. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Lavender nodded and walked away to Parvati. Ron couldn't help but feel extremely confused about his feelings. 

A/n: AHH! DON'T GET MAD YET GUYS! There's more coming! Please be patient! It's R/H so chill! Hehehehe. I hope you guys liked this chap. I made it extra long just for you guys. Well, the next time I'll update is next week so come back soon! Oh and, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!

Thanks to:

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RonsInnerVoice and **hermandronever** – Sorry I just put the thank you for the two of you together. I'm so glad you guys still manage to read my dumb little fic when there's so many other good ones out there. That makes me feel extremely special. J Thanks a lot!


	10. STOP IT!

A/n: Wow! Thanks a lot for the reviews guys! That kinda shocked me hehehe. Well here's the next chap. 

Disclaimer: I think we all know this by now… 

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Chapter Ten

The next morning, Hermione woke up and found Draco lying beside her. She was wrapped in a blanket and the sun was streaming down her face. _Oh my gosh!_ Hermione thought. _I can't believe this! How could I?_ She realized she was naked and felt 'dirty'. _Hermione, what the fuck did get into you to do this?_ She blamed herself. She slowly slid off the bed and found her gown and all of her other clothes lying around on the floor. She glanced back to check if Draco was still sleeping and he was. She hastily put on her clothes and reached for the door.

"I don't think you should go out yet." A voice from behind her said.

She turned around. Draco was sitting on his bed, grinning at her. "And why not?" She demanded.

"What if the others see you? In your gown." Draco said sensibly. "The ball's over and they might get suspicious."

Hermione sighed. He was right. She walked back to him and sat beside him. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly. "I had a great time last night by the way."

Hermione smiled weakly. "I don't know…it's just that…I don't know, I can't explain it."  
"Don't tell me you were regretting last night." Malfoy said seriously. 

Hermione remained silent. Draco stood up and Hermione turned around to avoid him. "What? It's not like you haven't seen me bare naked before." Draco joked. 

Hermione crawled back under the blanket and sighed. She found the necklace her mother gave her and she felt guilty. _What have I done?_ She thought. Her and Draco stayed in the room until lunch. Then, Draco made sure nobody was around and told Hermione that the coast was clear. Hermione ran to her room and took a quick shower. Then, she went back outside and figured that Draco was downstairs already. Then, she went to the Great Hall by herself.

~*~*~

Ron was sitting with Dean, Neville and Seamus during lunch. Harry had quidditch practice and Ginny went to watch. _Where's Hermione? _He wondered. _NO! She ditched you last night. She doesn't like you, Ron. Besides, there's lots of other gorgeous girls out there…_His eyes looked around and he saw Lavender staring at him. She blushed furiously and turned her attention back to Parvati. He couldn't help but grin. _I guess I **do **have the world famous Weasley charm._ Then, Hermione came out of nowhere and sat in front of Ron. 

"Hey Ron." Hermione smiled. She had eyebags and she looked tired. 

"Hi." Ron mumbled. He drank some juice and yearned to ask her where she went last night but figured it might catch her off guard. 

"S-s-sorry about last night." Hermione apologized. Something seemed to be bothering her. "My s-st-t-omach hurt a lot. I w-wanted to come back to t-t-tell you. But it hurt s-so bad."

"Oh. That's alright. I had fun anyway." Ron told her. "Harry's in the Quidditch Pitch and Ginny's watching him. Tomorrow's a Hogsmeade day, do you wanna go? You haven't gone to any of them so far." 

"I've just been busy." Hermione answered but secretly, she spent most of her time alone with Draco. 

"Are you ok? You seem stressed." Ron asked worriedly. His eyes looked deep into her tired, weary ones. 

"Y-yes. I-I'm fine. My stomach kept me up last night." Hermione smiled weakly. Then, she stood up. "Well, I best be going. I have lots of homework to do. I'll see you later."

"G'bye." Ron said. Then, he saw Ginny and Harry walking towards him. 

"Ron, why aren't you on the team?" Ginny asked as she sat down beside Ron. "I reckon you'd do an amazing job as chaser."

"I don't know. I didn't try out." Ron replied. 

"We saw Herm talking to you earlier. Why did she leave? Isn't she going to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked. He was still sweaty from practice. 

"No. She has homework as usual." Ron told them. "She was all stuttery when she was talking to me and she seemed tired. Her excuse was, her stomach hurt last night and that's why she never came back for the rest of the ball." 

"All students going to Hogsmeade, please proceed to the main entrance now to get on your carriages!" Professor Mcgonagall announced. Harry, Ginny and Ron stood up and followed the rest of the students to the carriages.

"Two teh a carriage pulease! Tha three-sea ter and four-sea ter carriages er all filled." Hagrid, who was standing outside, told them. 

Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and climbed on a carriage being pulled by 3 mokes. "We'll see you at Honeyduke's alright?" Harry told Ron.

"Oi! One mor' person can git on this'un!" Hagrid called. Ron jogged to where the carriage was and climbed in. He sat down and was shocked. It was Lavender.

"Why hello there! Who would've thought I'd be in this carriage with _you_." Lavender teased. 

Ron laughed appreciatively. "Where's Parvati?"

"She's sick." Lavender pouted. "But honestly, I think she only wants to stay and spy on that Malfoy git!"

Ron laughed again. Lavender had her hair in a sleek ponytail and was wearing a hint of cherry red lipstick and pink blush. She looked extremely pretty. 

"Where's Hermione?" Lavender asked. The carriage began to move. 

"She says she has lots of homework to do." Ron answered. 

"Oh." Lavender said. She crossed her legs and stared out the window. Just then, the carriage stopped. She screamed and fell forward. Luckily, Ron was there to catch her.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked as he held her. "I guess the Mokes shrank again."

Lavender stared up at him and blushed deep red. "Y-yeah. Of course I am alright. I'm such a klutz." Ron let go of her as she propped back down on her chair.

"Don't worry, you're not alone." Ron joked. She laughed and they continued to talk for the rest of the ride. 

*~*~*

"Draco, please stop." Hermione moaned as Draco kissed her. "I'm too tired for this. I thought you wanted help with Potions."

"That can wait." Draco said. "This can't." 

"STOP IT!" Hermione yelled. She pushed Draco away. Hard. 

"What in bloody hell is your problem?" Draco demanded. 

"I told you to stop but you don't listen!" Hermione answered firmly. "Do you want help or not."

"I wanna make out." Draco replied.

"UGH! You're nothing but a horny bastard! I'm going to my room." Hermione answered. She took her books and walked to the stairs.

"I can unlock your door, you know." Malfoy reminded her. Hermione ignored him and went to her room. 

She took out her wand and chanted, "_Alohamora completitus._" _It certainly pays to listen to charms class_. She thought. _That's the unbreakable lock, no spell can penetrate through it._ She recited to herself. She put her books on her bed and carefully read them. Then, she heard someone go up the stairs and bang on her door.

"OPEN UP GRANGER!" Malfoy shouted. "What the fuck's wrong with you? You don't like me anymore do you?"

"Go away Malfoy!" Hermione yelled back. "And don't you even try to unlock my door for it won't work."

"What the hell did I ever do to you, huh bitch?" Malfoy screamed. He continued to pound loudly on the door. 

"The Lethifold is a mercifully rare creature found solely in tropical climates." Hermione read loudly. "It resembles a black cloak perhaps half an inch thick, which glides along the ground at night."

"Fine then! Be that way! Stay there and see if I fuckin care!" Malfoy said from outside. 

"As Belby so dramatically reveals, the Patronus is the only spell known to repel the Lethifold." Hermione continued reading. Eventually, she heard Draco walk away and go downstairs. 

A/n: Hahahaha! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! More coming soon! Don't forget to review! And of course, thanks to:

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Follow the Butterflies – Thanks for the compliment! I liked your fic a lot.

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Hermandron4ever – ugh! The last chap was so hard for me to write! I'm glad you're still liking my story.

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Arynnl – oh my gosh! Your fic was amazing! I hope you update soon! It was brilliant.

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RonsInnerVoice – Thank you again! I hope you update your fic too!

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Sugarhigh – I have no idea how I got the idea for this…I guess I got inspired or something. I'm glad you didn't kill me yet!

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HermioneG15 – Thanks a lot!

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Lucy ;) xx – Don't worry, it's R/H!


	11. Oh my gosh!

A/n: YAY! Two chaps in one day! Wowee! I fixed up the chapters so it'll be less confusing. Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: …………

**** **Chapter Eleven**

            Finally, they reached Hogsmeade. Ron opened the door and came out first. Then, Lavender followed him.

            "Ahhh! I missed this place." Lavender said as she breathed deeply. "Well, there's Padma, I'll see you later ok?"

            "Okay, bye. I have to go meet Harry and Ginny anyway." Ron smiled. Lavender did something that shocked Ron. She _hugged_ him. 

            "Well, see ya!" Lavender smiled again and ran to Padma who was giggling uncontrollably. 

            Ron grinned and went to Honeydukes. He found Harry and Ginny, browsing for stuff.

            "Oi there!" Ron greeted.

            "Where were you? We were waiting!" Ginny said. "And you seem so happy about it."

            "Oh no, I'm not happy about that." Ron answered. 

            "Did you see Herm or something? Ginny teased.

            Ron shook his head. "So do you wanna get some drinks at Three Broomsticks?"

            "Sure. I'm hungry." Harry agreed. They all walked together to the Three Broomsticks and ordered drinks. After that, they went to Zonko's and explored Hogsmeade more. 

*          ~          *          ~          *

A few days later, Hermione still kept ignoring Draco. He was starting to get on her nerves. All he wanted was to make out. She felt used. She went to the washroom to do her 'business'. Then she noticed something that made her realize something shocking. She should've gotten her period by now. It usually came at the end or beginning of each month. But now, it was the 3rd week of January and it hadn't come.

_No, Hermione, don't get all paranoid. Hermione told herself. _I'm sure it's a natural thing that happens…_She washed her hands and went out of the washroom. _

*          ~          *          ~          *

Meanwhile, in Ron's life, he began spending more time with Lavender. He noticed that she wasn't really the ditz he thought she was. She was funny and sweet and charming and not to mention, beautiful. 

That night, Ron asked her on a 'date' to the astronomy tower. 

"What on earth are you doing, gazing in front of the mirror?" Harry asked Ron before he went on his date.

Ron was busily combing his hair and applied cologne. "I have to go somewhere."

"Where?" Harry asked curiously.

"You'll see sooner or later." Ron answered mysteriously. Harry laughed and chucked a pillow at him. 

"Well, make sure I'm the first to know, ok?" Harry said.

"Fine." Ron grinned. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he left. He walked to the astronomy tower and saw a dark figure waiting patiently.

"Sorry, Lav." Ron apologized. _"I'm supposed to be the one who'll wait for you." _

Lavender smiled. She was wearing a purple shirt and a black mini-skirt. She had violet eye shadow and pink lipstick. "Well, I'm not like those other girls who are always late and love to keep the guys waiting."

Ron slowly walked up to her and stretched out his arm. "They're for you." It was a beautiful bouquet of Lilacs and tulips.

"Oh my gosh! They're absolutely beautiful!" Lavender squealed. She took the flowers and sniffed them. "Thanks Ron."

Ron tugged at his shirt. "Lavender…what do you think of me?" 

"Whatever do you mean by that?" 

"Like, do you see me as a friend…or as something else?"

Lavender looked unsure. "Well, you're really nice and you're adorable and all…."

"And…"

"Oh come on Ron, if you like me just ask me out! No need to be shy!" Lavender told him. She leaned closer to him and kissed him softly. "If you want more, I'll give you more."

Ron felt as if time froze. Here he was, with a beautiful girl, alone, who was willing to do anything for him. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Right in front of you." Lavender answered. "It's just that, you were too busy staring at that bushy-haired freak that you never noticed." 

Ron wanted to slap her after that comment. But he didn't. _Hermione can fight her own battles, she doesn't need me,_ Ron reminded himself. "Yeah, you're right. But now that I found you, I don't think I'll ever let you go." He leaned forward and kissed her. 

Lavender broke off and said, "Does this mean, we're…you know…boyfriend and girlfriend now? Officially?"

"I guess you could say that. If you want me to be your boy - " Ron began but Lavender interrupted him as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him fiercely. 

*          ~          *          ~          *

"Hermione, are you alright in there?" Alyson asked. 

"Yes! I'm fine!" Hermione answered. She continued vomiting in the toilet. _What's wrong with me? She asked herself. __My head is hurting like bloody hell! I'm sure it's not something I ate…maybe I'm just tired. She sighed and continued to barf. _

A/n: hey! Sorry for the short chap! More next week or if I have time, I'll update somewhere during this week as well! Well, bye!


	12. I don’t have time for you and your ugly ...

A/n: Hello again! Thanks for the reviews! And um, I just wanted to say that you don't HAVE to read my fic. I would just appreciate it if you do but you're not obliged to. Well, here goes!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

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Chapter Twelve

Hermione was sitting alone in the library as she did her Arithmancy homework. Or what people _thought_ as her Arithmancy homework. There were piles and piles of books stacked in three towers, covering her face as she read the book 

"The first symptoms are: your period becomes very light, or in most cases, none at all; you may feel nauseous or queasy (some women vomit); you feel tired; you have to urinate more often," Hermione read carefully as she clutched the book tightly in her hand. Her palms suddenly became sweaty. "You experience mood swings?!" Hermione suddenly remembered what happened a few hours ago. 

She was laughing with Alyson and Beth in the main Prefect room when Sam came in with a box of Chocolate frogs.

"Aren't you gonna give us some?" Alyson teased.

"No." Sam replied as he took a big bite of his chocolate frog. "I don't have time for you and your ugly friends."

"Well excuse me but I shouldn't talk. Have u checked the mirror lately?" Hermione snapped. 

"Whoa, geez I'm just joking." Sam said, looking sorry. "One minute, you're all laughing with your friends and in the next you're screaming in my ear. I reckon it's 'that time of the month', ain't it Hermione? Or is it mood swings?"

And now, here she was, scolding herself in the library. _No, I can**no**t be pregnant! You can**not** be pregnant Hermione! _She closed the book (Patricia's Pregnancy Guide for the Petrified) and sat, staring at nothing_. What have I done? How could this happen? I'm not supposed to be pregnant at this early age! Not yet! Not when I'm not ready…_

She stood up and carried a pile of books back to shelves. Then, a red-headed lad walked up to her with a sly grin on his face.

"Oi there Herm! I haven't seen you for awhile." Ron greeted. "Well I have, but I haven't exactly _talked_ to you for awhile. I mean, we haven't had a conversation in a while and…" 

Hermione smiled at him. _Ron always knew how to make me laugh,_ she thought. "What on earth are you doing here anyway? Is Harry with you?"

"Nah, I'm waiting for Lavender. We were supposed to meet here five minutes ago." Ron explained. "I guess something came up so she's late."

"You're meeting _Lavender_? Here? Why?" Hermione asked. "Is it for some Divination project of some sort?"

"Well, not exactly." Ron stared at his old rubber shoes. "Well, you see Herm…"  
"Hey there Ronniekins!" A voice greeted. Lavender walked up from behind Ron and threw her arms around him. "Sorry I'm late, I had some business to take care off."

Ron turned around and kissed Lavender softly on the cheek. "That's ok, it was worth the wait." He gazed at Lavender's hot pink, button down shirt (which was open all the way to her chest) and white skirt. 

"Am I missing something here?" Hermione asked, even if she already knew what was going on.

"Oh, hello Hermione. Nice to see you here." Lavender said dryly. She raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to Ron. "Let's go. This is boring." She walked away to find a table.

"Alright, I'll be right there." Ron told her. 

Now it was Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you and her are going out because if you do, I think I'll die of laughter." Ron stared at her blankly and Hermione let the thought sink in. _He's going out with her? That ugly, slutty, bitch? _Hermione thought. 

"Sorry I didn't tell you." Ron apologized. "It's just that, you're always busy and I didn't wanna interfere with you and your…er…whatever you do." 

Hermione would've smiled but she didn't. She felt her face go hot. "W-w-well then, that's f-fine with me. Y-you don't have to tell me e-everything you know."

Then, Lavender walked over to Ron again and linked her arms and around his. "Let's go Ronnie! Don't keep me waiting!"

"I guess I better go. I'll see you later." Ron smiled at Hermione.

"Y-yeah. Sure." Hermione nodded as Lavender gave her a triumphant grin and dragged Ron away. Hermione continued to put the heavy books back on the shelf. After laboring for about 10 minutes, she decided to go back to her room and rest. She felt extremely worn out for the day, and it was only 1:00 on a bright, Saturday afternoon. 

"Clam chowder." Hermione said wearily as she gave the password.

"Step right in little lady! I think you need the rest! You look terrible!" The old man in the portrait told her.

"Thanks a lot kind sir, I appreciate that." She mumbled sarcastically.

"My pleasure, darling." The man smiled. Hermione rolled her eyes and went straight to her room, ignoring the mess the prefects had made. As she entered the room, she was surprised to see someone there.

"What on bloody hell are you doing in my room? I told you not to go in here again!" Hermione demanded. _I must've forgotten to put the spell on the door,_ she thought. "Get out!"

Draco looked at her sternly. "Look, we need to talk." 

"GET OUT!" Hermione yelled. "Get out of my room now before I scream."  
Draco grabbed Hermione's shoulders and pinned her against the wall. Then he used his left leg to close the door. "We need to talk, okay?"

"Fine. What do you wanna talk about?" Hermione asked. Draco stared at her in the eye, which made her feel like melting.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Draco asked. "What did I do?"

Hermione stared at him and tears welled up in her eyes. Her back slowly went sliding against the wall Draco pinned her against. 

"What's wrong?" Draco asked worriedly.

"I – I – I'm…" Hermione snobbed.

"What is it?" Draco wondered.

"I'm…" She looked at Draco with her sad, almond-brown eyes. "Pregnant."

"WHAT?" Draco practically yelled. He stood up and backed away from Hermione. "Is it my…I mean…_our_ kid?"

"I don't know!" Hermione cried. "I guess so! You're the only guy I had…you know…with!"

Draco was speechless. He was in complete shock. Not knowing what to do, he looked at Hermione one last time and said, "Don't tell anyone about this. I swear if anybody finds out I will literally kill you." He shut the door behind him and ran off, leaving Hermione, crying alone on the floor. 

Author: See what stupidity does to you, Hermione?

Hermione: Yes oh great author. * cries *

Author: Now why don't you just go out with Ron.

Hermione: How can I? He's going out with that Lavender bitch!

Author: Oh yeah…

Hermione: I WANT MY RONNIEKINS! 

Author: WELL ITS YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT YOU DON'T HAVE HIM WITH YOU!

Hermione: Oh shut up!

A/n: I hope you guys liked this chapter! I actually sort of liked it. And of course, a million thanks to:

Sugarhigh – Thanks for liking my story! Of course I'll have R/H but please be patient! Don't send your minions after me yet!

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RonsInnerVoice – Sorry if it doesn't seem too happy right now…ahhh! Sorry Hermione's a bitch too (quite OOC!) Yes this is a very screwed up world.

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HermioneG15 – Yes, she is unfortunately pregnant…stupid girl…

Hermione: HEY I HEARD THAT!

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Arynnl – Hey! I hope you liked this chapter! I tried to update ASAP just for you (and everyone else of course hehehe)

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Lost Dove – Don't worry, R/H coming really soon! Thanks for reviewing!


	13. Surely you’ll be expelled

A/n:I would've updated this earlier but Fanfiction wasn't working and I was pretty busy on the weekend. So here it is! I might not get to update until the week after the next week because I have tons of projects to do. Well, I hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

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Chapter Thirteen

"Hey Herm!" Ginny smiled as she sat down on the couch beside Hermione. "What are you doing here? Not that it's a bad thing, but you know what I mean."

"I've been waiting for you or Harry to come." Hermione told her. She had been waiting in the Gryffindor common room for about 2 hours now. She had a record of all the passwords for the common rooms so getting in the Gryffindor room wasn't a problem. "I need to ask you something."

"Sure, what d'ya wanna know?" Ginny asked.

"Why didn't any of you tell me that Ron and Lavender were going out?" Hermione asked. She crossed her arms. "I mean, I reckon I was the last person to know about it."

Ginny's face grew hot. "Well uh, you see, well – er – um…" Ginny stared at her and looked uneasy. "Do you like my brother?"

"No! Never in a million years!" Hermione scoffed. "We're best friends for crying out loud!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I think you do." Hermione opened her mouth to protest but Ginny continued, "I – we – didn't want to tell you because, well, I thought your feelings might get hurt. I didn't want you to get heartbroken."

Hermione laughed. "Oh please Ginny. I'm happy for Ron. It's just that…Lavender…"

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe he saw something in her." Ginny agreed. "But Hermione, my brother really likes – er – liked, you. A lot." 

"Sod off Ginny. I know he doesn't." Hermione argued. "What he feels for me is nothing but sisterly love. Nothing more."

"Whatever you say…" Ginny replied. 

Then, Hermione suddenly felt nauseous again. She quickly stood up and said, "I best be going now, Gin. See you later."

"Awww! Why so soon?" Ginny asked.

"Business. Take care of. Bye." Hermione said quickly. She covered her mouth with her right hand and clutched her stomach with the other. She ran out of the room and raced to the Head room. She rushed to the girls' lavatory and quickly went in one of the toilets.

_Not again!_ Hermione thought as she vomited a yellow colored liquid. _This is disgusting! _She kept vomiting until nothing came out anymore. Then she took one last look at the disgusting puddle in the toilet and flushed it. She washed her hands and face thoroughly and gargled. When she was satisfied, she stepped out of the washroom. 

*~*~*

"Ronniekins! Ronniekins! Are you listening to me?" Lavender asked impatiently. Her and Ron were sitting on one of the benches, watching the Quidditch practice. 

"Y-yeah, I'm listening." Ron answered absentmindedly.

"Okay good. So Padma was like, 'look at Milicent's ugly nose'!" Lavender blabbed. "And I was like, 'I know! And look at her enormous butt!' Isn't that gross Ronniekins?"

"Yeah. Very." Ron answered. He was deeply involved in the game. Katie had the Quaffle and was passing it to Alicia. A bludger almost hit Alicia but one of the new beaters, Anthony Lemon, blocked it. 

"Ron! You're not paying much attention to me are you?" Lavender said in a whiny voice. She stood up and sat on Ron's lap. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. Harry saw it and gave Ron a wink. "_Now_ will you listen?" 

"I was listening all along!" Ron replied. "But I think that kiss helped me. I think I need more to help me listen."Lavender giggled and kissed Ron all over his face. After that, Ron was very red. 

"Is that better, Ronnie?" Lavender cooed.

"Yeah. Much better." Ron smiled. 

*~*~*

Hermione quickly ran to her Potions class. She knew that if she was late (even though this was her first time), Snape would never let her forget it. Besides that, it would give him an excuse to take at least 50 points from Gryffindor. 

Hermione ran as fast as she could. Unfortunately, she was too late. Snape had already begun the lesson. _If only I hadn't fallen asleep!_ She scolded herself. Many students glanced her way as she walked to her usual seat beside Ron. Surprisingly, someone else was sitting there.

"Well good afternoon, Ms. Granger." Snape said icily. "How pleasant of you to join us. Did you think that you could just, barge in here and disrupt my lesson because you felt like it?"

"No sir." Hermione said meekly. "I've just been – er – very tired. It will never happen again."

"Nevertheless, it _did_ happen, Ms. Granger." Snape smiled. "I shall take 20 points from Gryffindor for your lateness."

"I've only been two minutes late sir!" Hermione argued.

"Sit down or else I shall take even more points, Ms. Granger." Snape replied firmly. 

Hermione nodded and tapped the black-haired girl sitting in her seat. "Excuse me, will you please get out of my seat?"  
The girl turned around. She had a very annoyed look on her face. "No, I wanna sit here, beside my dear Ronniekins." She fluttered her eyes at Ron. "You can sit there, beside Goyle." 

"But - " Hermione began to argue.

"Time is running, my dear student. If you don't find a seat in three seconds I will force you to sit on the floor for the rest of the year." Snape told her. 

Hermione sighed and reluctantly sat beside Goyle who was busily picking his nose. 

"Now, open get a piece of parchment and copy these notes down." Snape was saying. 

Hermione felt her stomach and noticed it was getting slightly bigger. Not because she was fat, but because of the baby. She needed to make her decision soon, either to abort the baby or keep it. She sighed again and copied her notes as she saw Lavender giggling and blushing beside Ron. 

*~*~*

"Draco, I need to talk to you." Hermione said softly. She had sent Draco an owl, telling him to meet her at their 'secret classroom'. 

"About what? Make it quick." Malfoy snapped. 

"Well, about the baby…" Hermione began.

"I want _nothing_ to do with that child." Draco told her firmly. "NOTHING."

"But he or she is OUR child, Draco!" Hermione said angrily. "You can never deny that fact! We did it and it's our responsibility to - "

"No." Malfoy replied. "He or she, I don't care whatever that…_creature_…will turn out to be, will be YOUR own responsibility."

"I thought you loved me…you said you did." Hermione said as tears formed in her eyes. "Why would you do this to me – to us – if you didn't love me?"

"You wanna know why I did it, mudblood?" Malfoy asked, loooking at her menacingly. He grabbed her shoulders tightly and pulled her closer to him. "I did it for fun." 

"What do you mean fun?"

"I have to admit, you certainly looked extremely attractive this year," Draco began to explain. "But I never had any real 'love' feelings for you. None at all. I was attracted to you at first and I thought that maybe it was the mystifying love that dopes always blubber about. Then, I figured out that it's not. I'm sorry, Granger." He slowly let go of Hermione, who was shaking all over.

Tears slowly slid down Hermione's face as she took all of the words that came out of Draco's mouth. "I – I – I don't know what to say! I thought y-you l-l-loved me. I thought y-you a-actually c-cared!"

"I admit, I shouldn't have gotten as far as sex with you, but I couldn't help it." Malfoy said as he stared at the floor. "The opportunity was right there."

"I HATE YOU!" Hermione cried. She began to punch Draco's chest hard. "I hate you! You destroyed me! You wrecked my life! I HATE YOU!" She continued on punching him until she got tired. She broke down and cried even more.

"Listen Granger, you could've stopped me. But you didn't." Malfoy reminded her. "I'm not taking responsibility for this. Kill it, have a miscarriage, I don't care what the fuck you do with it."  
"I'll tell professor Dumbledore. Surely you'll be expelled." Hermione threatened.

"My father can take care of it." Malfoy said coolly. "See Granger, it doesn't really matter. If I _do_ get expelled, then I suggest you should watch yourself very closely."

"I can't take care of this child by myself Draco!" Hermione pleaded. "Please…please…"

"NO! Don't you understand english? I thought you were smart." Malfoy snickered. "I love Pansy. She's the right one for me." Hermione continued to cry as Draco began to walk out the door. "Oh and mudblood…" Hermione ignored him and continued to cry. "I promised Pansy we would have a Valentine's day ball. I hope you don't mind. If you do, it doesn't matter. The prefects have agreed on it. They all seem quite ecstatic. Oh and another thing, Pansy is so much better than you in snogging." And with that, Malfoy had a grin on his face and walked out the door leaving Hermione weeping by herself.

*~*~*

"Oooh Ronniekins, I heard from Padma that we might have a Valentine's ball." Lavender told Ron as they sat in the common room. "And guess what? It's for couples **_only_**! I guess that filthy know-it-all Granger won't be going." Lavender laughed.

"Yeah…" Ron replied. 

"So did you get me anything for Valentine's day yet?" Lavender asked. 

"Of course. I got loads of stuff for you." Ron lied. Truthfully, he had forgotten about Valentine's day. During his previous years in Hogwarts, Valentine's day seemed like an ordinary day for him. Except for the fact that Harry usually got lots of anonymous love notes from his admirers. That ticked him off a little bit.

"Oh goody! I have a lot of stuff waiting just for you!" Lavender giggled. "This is gonna be so much fun! I can hardly wait!"

"Neither can I." Ron muttered_. Mental note, ask Ginny what girls like on Valentines Day,_ he thought to himself. 

A/n: Well, this is sort of a cliffy and I'll be writing the Valentines Day dance chap next week or so. I'll try to update earlier if I have the chance so yeah. Thanks to reviewers of course!

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Arynnl – I hope you liked this chap too! 

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RonsInnerVoice – Thanks for wanting to read my fic! I'm glad you're still there.

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HermioneG15 – Yeah, Hermione's being stupid but now she has to pay back for all the stuff she did.

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Lost Dove – Hahahaha, don't kill Draco yet! Hehehe kill him later. 


	14. Yes, curly brown hair

A/n:AHHH!! I don't know why I updated so early this time, usually I have a reason. Well I guess because I was bored last night so I wrote this up….well anyways. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: Beans beans the musical fruit…

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Chapter Fourteen

On February 10, Malfoy made an announcement. Yes the bloody git Malfoy. Hermione was supposed to announce the news with him but she was too angry at him to even _think _about him.

"In behalf of my fellow Head, Mud – Grang – Hermione, I would like to inform you about a Valentines Day dance on Valentines Day." Malfoy told them. "It is on a school night so it is only for 4th years and up. It will be like the Christmas Ball where a 4th year and up can ask you as a date even if you are in 3rd year and under." Hermione saw Ginny's eyes widen with excitement. "Another thing, this dance is for couples **_only _**so if you don't have a date then don't even bother to go. That is all."

The students began to chat enthusiastically. 

"I hope he asks me out!" A girl said.

"Do you think I should wear my dark red gown or my light pink gown?" Another girl said.

Hermione sighed and ate more of her food. 

"So, Ginny. Are you going with anyone to the dance?" Harry asked Ginny jokingly.

"Nope. Why do ask, Mister Potter?" Ginny giggled.

"Well, there's this lovely lady I would like to ask but I wasn't sure if she was already going with somebody else." Harry replied.

"Now you do." Ginny smiled.

"Will you go to the dance with me…" Harry began. "Hermione?"

"WHAT?" Ginny and Hermione said unison.

Harry laughed. "I'm pulling your legs. I was gonna ask Ginny out. No offense Herm..."

"Oh, none taken at all Harry." Hermione smiled.

"So _are _you going with anyone?" Ginny asked. "You can't stay in your room all day."

Hermione shook her head. "Who would wanna go with me?"

"Herm, you have no idea!" Ginny sighed. "You're absolutely gorgeous and it's a shame to waste your beauty. I would _die_ to have your curls."

"If you die, then I'll die with you." Harry added sweetly.

Ginny blushed deep red. "If only my idiot brother asked **_you_** out instead." 

Hermione laughed. She suddenly had a weird feeling inside her. Something she couldn't describe. "Why would he ask me? We're only friends, I told you that."

Harry sighed. "Hermione, you're supposed to be smart."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked. 

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Golly Herm, I can't believe you never noticed. If you had, maybe my pathetic brother would be sitting with _you_ right now."

"Oh Ronnie, you're SO humurous!" They heard Lavender giggle.

"Notice what?" Hermione asked.

"Holy shit Herm, why do you ask when you already know." Harry said as he gave her an exasperated look. "Stop denying it and start facing it."

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about." Hermione answered solemnly. "I have to go to my Arithmancy class now. I'll see you later." She stood up and carried her books. Her robes swept by Ron's back. Ron turned around and caught her gaze. Then, she hurried off.

"When will she ever stop being so involved in her world and look around her?" Ginny murmured.

~*~*~

Ron was standing in Divination, feeling extremely bored. Professor Trelawny was explaining how to tell the future using a crystal ball.

"Line up and I will have a one on one session with each of you to have a quick glance at your futures." Trelawny told them. "Tomorrow, you can try to predict your fellow classmates' futures in the crystal balls I provided. Oh by the way Neville, when you break your first crystal ball tomorrow, the broom is at the back of the classroom." Neville turned pink and nodded timidly. "Now let us begin." 

Ron was impatiently waiting in line with Harry and Lavender. Lavender seemed enthusiastic and eager.

"Oh my gosh! This is so cool isn't it Ron?" Lavender squealed.

"Oh yeah, the coolness is making me freeze." Harry muttered sarcastically. "Yippee!"

"I wasn't talking to you." Lavender scoffed. Harry shrugged and ignored her.

Eventually, it was Lavender's turn. She excitedly sat down on a chair in front of the Professor and giggled with excitement. After her session, she looked puzzled. Then, Harry's turn came up.

"This oughta be good." Harry snickered. After his prediction, his expression was blank. Finally, it was Ron's turn.

"Ronald Weasley…" Trelawney murmered. "Look into the crystal ball and concentrate. Don't think about anything but the ball and what you want to see." Ron stared at the brightly-lit glass ball. _This is stupid_, he thought. "Hmm…your future is as bright as the morning sun and as clear as pure, crystal water."

"What if it was a cloudy day?" Ron asked. The professor gave him a stern look and he kept silent. 

"Wait, what is this? A young lady with…" Trelawney began. "With…brown hair. Yes, curly brown hair. She – she needs your help. She is crying. She is in pain. She is reaching her arms to you but she can't." The professor's eyes stared at Ron as if he was hiding something. "That's it for you. Next please."  
"Wait, who was the girl?" Ron asked.

"We will see when the time comes." Professor Trelawney smiled mysteriously. Ron got up and walked towards Harry.

"What did she say to you?" Harry asked.

"Something about a girl with brown hair. And I had a clear future and I'll have lots of water. Something like that. I was barely listening." Ron answered. "What did you get?"  
"She said my future was dim." Harry replied. "But the sun will rise and 'eternal happiness will be forever yours'." Harry copied Trelawney's tone of voice. "Oh and she said she saw lots of red hair. Hmm…I wonder if that means something…"

"She probably added the red hair part because she knows me and you are best friends." Ron said thoughtfully. Then, Lavender came walking towards them.

"I, for once, am confused at what Professor said." Lavender told them.

"Oh wow." Harry mumbled.

Lavender ignored him and turned to Ron. "Well she said I had a rich future. She saw three dark-haired children. **_Dark hair_**, Ronniekins." She made it sound like it was the end of the world.

"Uhhh…am I missing something?" Ron asked, feeling confused.

Lavender looked at him with a frown. "Don't you see it? No red heads! That might mean you and I might not end up together! Certainly, that's a mistake. Isn't it Ronnie?"

"Of course." Ron agreed. Deep in his thoughts, he couldn't stop thinking about the curly haired girl. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of the name that kept popping in his head: Hermione Granger. 

A/n: Ahhh! Hope you liked this one! Personally, Lavender is pissing me off! I wish I could get rid of her. UGHHH! Don't worry, she'll be gone sooner or later. Don't forget to review!  


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RonsInnerVoice – Hey! Of course Ron still cares about Hermione! (HE BETTER OR ELSE I'LL SHOOT HIM! No of course not, I can never do that to sweet ickle Ronniekins.)

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Priya – aww! Thanks for reading my fic. Yes, Malfoy is SUCH a jerk!

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Arynnl – I hope you have fun in Brazil! Maybe by the time you come back, I'll be almost done!

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Lucy ;) xxx – Awww how sweet! I'm so happy you still remember my fic even if there are so many other good ones out there. 


	15. They make a brilliant couple don't they

A/n: AWW! Lotsa love for all the reviewers! Another thank you list at the bottom of course. This is gonna be pretty long so please try not to fall asleep through it.

Disclaimer: AHHH how many times do I have to tell you, I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER or ANYTHING from it.

**Chapter Fifteen**

Finally, it was February 14. Valentine's day was here. Almost everyone was in their cheery mood. Everyone besides Hermione.

_Valentine's day…it's so dumb! It's merely a moneymaking holiday for all the shops in the whole world…ugh. It's incredibly pointless. Ah shit it's hurting again!_She placed a hand on her stomach. _Damned baby! It's been about a month now…I should tell someone…no, I can't! That arsehole Malfoy would kill me. Well so what? Why do I even care what he does anymore? He did this to me and he won't take responsibility for it. I guess I should go to breakfast now_Hermione quickly brushed her hair and didn't bother to look at the mirror.

When Hermione reached the Great Hall she was amazed. The Great Hall was decorated very nicely. The sky was a nice sky blue color, and there were flying owls everywhere. At the sides, there were fountains of cupids and there were red tablecloths. Then, she found the Gryffindor table and saw everyone laughing around her. _What are they so happy about?_ She passed by Draco who was snogging Pansy. _That bastard! _Hermione thought angrily.

"Hey! Hermione! Over here!" Ron called. He moved over to make room for Hermione, pushing Lavender slightly aside.

"Ouchie! That hurt!" Lavender whined even if it didn't even hurt.

Hermione smiled and sat beside Ron. "Where are Harry and Ginny? Don't tell me they're off on their little 'expeditions' again. It's still quite early."

Ron smiled back. "Probably. Harry was gone when I woke up, though I'm rather worried." He frowned. "You never know what they could be doing…"

Hermione laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine."

"Ronniekins…" Lavender began as she tried to take Ron's attention away from Hermione. But just then, Harry and Ginny exhaustedly came out of nowhere and sat in front of them.

"Where have you two been?" Ron asked suspiciously. Ginny's hair was dripping wet and same with Harry.

"We decided to take an early morning stroll outside." Harry explained through breaths. "But then, it rained."

"It was so unexpected." Ginny added. "Now, I have to change my clothes and dry my hair."

"Well you'll have to hurry. Classes start in 10 minutes!" Hermione warned them.

"Really? Ok we'll see you later." Harry thanked them as him and Ginny took off again, hand in hand.

"They make a brilliant couple don't they." Hermione said as they walked away.

"Not as brilliant as Ronnie and me!" Lavender argued. She gave Ron a kiss on the cheek. Then, she wrapped her arms around him and began kissing him softly on the lips.

Ron pulled away. "Not now." But Lavender ignored him and continued.

Hermione was looking at them as if she was hurt. "I think I should go now." She stood up and walked away.

"Herm! Wait!" Ron called after her but Hermione ignored him and continued walking.

_What's wrong with me?_ Hermione asked herself. _Why am I ignoring him like this? It's perfectly common for couples to snog. Besides, why should I care? I'm supposed to be happy for him. _She made her way back to the Head room and got her books.

Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, Ron felt irritated by Lavender.

"Why didn't you stop when I told you to? Now's not the right time to make out." Ron asked her angrily.

Lavender was taken aback. "What on earth's your problem? You were totally blowing me off when that know-it-all was here. You act as if she's more important than I am."

"She's my best friend, Lavender." Ron answered. "Of course she's important to me."

"More important than me?" Lavender asked. She stared Ron directly in the eye. "Answer me Ron."

"I – I don't know." Ron replied. "Let's go to class. Hagrid will be waiting." Ron stood up and Lavender followed him.

"We _are_ still going to the ball together right?" Lavender asked uncertainly.

"Of course." Ron told her. He put his arm around her waist and smiled. He suddenly felt guilty. _Maybe Hermione just had stuff in her mind, no need to take my anger out on Lav, _Ron thought "Sorry for acting like a dope earlier."

"It's alright." Lavender grinned. "I'm used to your mood swings by now." Ron laughed as they walked together to their class.

Finally, it was lunchtime. Hermione couldn't bear to stand seeing Lavender and Ron flirting with each other. She knew it was a normal thing, but it irritated her incredibly. She decided to have a quick lunch so she wouldn't have to watch Lavender and Ron laughing together so she ran to the Great Hall from her History of Ancient Ruins class. By the time she got there, however, Harry and Ginny were already there.

"Oi there Herm!" Ginny smiled. "You look tired."  
"I am." Hermione answered.

"The food will help you recharge. It certainly helped me." Harry grinned as he gulped down some chicken.

Hermione smiled. Suddenly, an owl dropped a letter on her plate. It was wrapped in a plain white envelope and had 'Hermione Granger' written on it.

"Ooohh! A note!" Ginny giggled. "Open it!"

Hermione had a surprised note on her face. Who on earth would send her a letter? She carefully tore open the seal and took out a piece of parchment. Her eyes widened as she read the note.

"So, what does it say?" Ginny asked curiously.

Hermione suddenly turned bright red. She handed the note to Ginny who eagerly read it aloud:

"_To my dear Hermione,_

_I have had these mixed emotions inside me for the past couple of months now. I planned to ask you out on the Christmas Ball, but that Weasley beat me to it." _Ginny read. "Hahaha, but actually _you _asked him!" She cleared her throat and continued, "_Now, I finally developed the courage to ask you on Valentines Day. I hope you don't mind the tardiness of my letter. I was kinda scared to send it. Well anyway, I would just like to say, would you like to go to the ball with me? If you don't want to, it's fine with me. I completely understand. You probably have a date now. But, if by any chance you don't (which is utterly impossible), will you please consider me?" _Ginny giggled uncontrollably at this. Even Harry began to laugh. Hermione covered her face in embarrassment.

"Why are you blushing? That's so sweet!" Ginny laughed. "Signed, Dean Thomas. WHAT? Dean Thomas?"

At this, Hermione snatched the letter and carefully put it back in the envelope.

"I never knew he was such a sweetie!" Ginny said thoughtfully. "So, are you going to say yes?"

"I'm not exactly sure if I even want to go." Hermione said reluctantly. She took a sip from her apple juice. "I should be working on my Charms homework…"

"Oh for the love of chocolate frogs Hermione, just go!" Harry told her. "It's Valentines Day for crying out loud. Besides, it's not like you have anybody else to go with…"

And with that comment, Hermione felt like Harry just slapped her silly for an hour. Harry just realized what his comment sounded like and his jaw dropped open. Ginny stared at him in disbelief.

"Harry didn't mean it that way, Herm." Ginny explained.

"Ye-yeah. I really didn't mean for it to sound like that." Harry apologized.

"You're right anyway. I don't have anybody to go with…" Hermione sighed, trying to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry Herm." Harry apologized again. He had a sad puppy-dog look on his face.

"Aww, can you resist that cute look?" Ginny said as she stared at Harry. "I know I can't."

Hermione laughed. "It's alright, Harry. I know what you meant to say."

Harry sighed in relief. Just then, Ron strutted in with Lavender's arms wrapped around his waist.

"Hey Herm." Ron grinned.

"Hi." Lavender greeted smugly.

"Herm **can** go to the ball after all!" Ginny announced happily. "Dean Thomas asked her."

"Really? So are you going?" Ron asked. He suddenly had a weird tinge of jealousy in him. _What am I jealous of? I have a beautiful girl friend who loves me, what do I have to be jealous about? _Ron thought to himself.

"Well…uh…" Hermione stammered. "I'm not exactly sure yet. I don't know if I should waste a night on a silly dance rather than doing my homework."  
"That's true." Lavender agreed. She wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Hermione coming to the dance. She felt insecure that Ron might fall head over heels over her when she sees Hermione in a nice dress. _She **is** rather pretty_, Lavender admitted to herself. _But not as pretty as me of course. I can't believe Ron actually liked her. But now, he has me. And I don't want this bookworm to come between my Ronniekins and me._

"NO! Just go!" Ginny pleaded. "I promise you'll have a good time."

Just then, Dean who was walking like he was drunk, came up to Hermione. He was looking down at his shoes, his face blushing immensely. His redness showed even if he had a brown skin color.

"S-so, H-hermione." He stuttered. "D-did you get my letter?"

"Yes." Hermione smiled. Dean finally looked up and turned even redder than before. "And I'm sorry to tell you but…"

Dean immediately became disappointed. "It's ok, I know you had a date already. I mean, who wouldn't wanna date you?"

Ginny put her hands on her mouth to stop from giggling. Harry was smiling from ear to ear. Ron clutched Lavender's hand tightly. Hermione blushed as red as Dean.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you but…" Hermione began. "But I _do_ wanna go with you. And nobody asked me."

Dean's face lit up. "Great! That's great! You won't regret it Hermione!" He suddenly gave her a hug and jumped for joy. "See you tonight!"

"I'll be waiting by the staircase." Hermione told him.

"Yay! You're coming!" Ginny squealed. "And you better stay for long this time, because last time you left…."

Hermione looked at Ron, feeling embarassed. Ginny noticed it and said, "Well, we oughta head to class now. I'll see you later Harry."

"I'll be thinking of you." Harry nodded as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hey, hey. I'm watching!" Ron reminded them. They laughed and headed off to their classes.

A/n: AHH! PLEASE REVIEW! I hope you guys didn't get too bored with this chapter! Next chapter is the Valentines dance one! Stay tuned! Ok thanks to:

**Kelpiemonkey** – Sorry if you didn't like that chap! I didn't like it either!

**Aries11** – Thanks for reviewing! Thank God Ron's coming along!

**Serena **– yes I have to agree with you there for the OOC part. I'm really bad at keeping the characters in character (Did that make sense?) but I'm glad you still liked it. Thanks for the advice.

**RonsInnerVoice **– I know! Lavender is starting to get on my nerves too. I can't wait to get rid of her.

**Luxy ;) xx** – I hope you liked this chap! I tried to write it as soon as possible.

**Lost Dove** – Aww! Thanks for reviewing the previews chap. You guys make me so happy! I don't mind if you burn Malfoy now…he's a bastard (in my fic) according to me.

**rupretmasweetheart** – thanks for liking my story!

**Hollie** – yes, Hermione was such a bitch! But now, she's regretting it.


	16. No, I love you more

A/n: Ahhh! Finally I get to write this chapter! I've been itching to write it and so here it is! Don't forget to review! Another long chapter here!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Song belongs to 98 degrees – I do (Cherish you) it's really sweet!

**Chapter sixteen**

Hermione never really looked at Dean in any 'special' way. He wasn't ugly, but he wasn't the hottest creature on two legs. _He had curly black hair and dark brown eyes. I guess he's ok,_ Hermione thought. It was hard for her to find a gown to wear. She didn't want to wear anything too tight, because her belly would show. Then, she decided upon wearing a plain scarlet dress with a matching shoal and a small ruby necklace. She looked at the mirror and sighed.

Her hair looked fine, but she was debating on whether to put on make up or not. _If Ginny can do it, then I bet I can do it too, _she thought. She reached into her drawer and found some powder, blush, eyeliner, eye shadow and lipstick that Ginny left her for the last ball. She took a brush and applied a light shade of blush on her cheeks. Then, she put on some lipstick on her full lips and a shade of eye shadow. It wasn't much, but it would do.

She put on her high-heeled sandals and proceeded to the stairway, where Dean was supposed to wait for her. When she got there, Dean was busily chatting with Hannah Abbot.

"Hi Dean." She greeted.

"Oh, hey there Hermione." Dean smiled. He whispered something to Hannah and Hannah quickly took off.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked as she watched Hannah run off.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Dean nodded. She linked her arm around his and they walked to the Great Hall. The cupid fountains were still there, but there were flying fireflies with red lights fluttering around the room. There were candles floating in the air and there were already lots of people.

"So, they booked Celestina again." Hermione commented. She also saw Starlight, and a good-looking male singer named William Spear.

Dean nodded as Celestina sang a fast song. "Can I – ask you something Her -Hermione?"

"Shoot me." Hermione smiled.

"Well, I really hate to disappoint you but…" Dean said unsurely. "I'm really sorry…but…"

"But?"

"I don't really like you." Dean spitted out. He looked ashamed. "I – I asked you because I wanted to make Hannah jealous. And I didn't have a date, and she did and I knew you didn't have a date either. And I really like her a lot and…so…I'm sorry. It was the only plan I can think of." He looked at Hermione guiltily.

Hermione merely nodded, trying to hide her tears. _I knew it was all a lie,_ she thought. "Sure. That's fine. Now go on and join her and have fun. I understand."

"Are you sure?" Dean asked, looking surprised. He had expected Hermione to freak out or something.

"No, it's ok with me." Hermione smiled. "Now go."

"Thanks a lot Hermione." Dean smiled. He quickly ran off and found Hannah, standing somewhere in the crowd.

_When will I learn?_ Hermione thought. She walked blindly, bumping into people along the way.

"Hermione! There you are!" She heard Ginny call. She ignored her and continued to walk.

"Herm! Wait!" Ginny called again. Ginny ran speedily to Hermione. "What's wrong?" Hermione was crying and her cheeks were red.

"D-dean. He only asked me out so he can make Ha-Hannah Abbot je-jealous." Hermione sobbed. "I told you I shouldn't have gone. At least my homework can't treat me like shit."

Ginny hugged her. "Aww, come on. Stop crying. You'll mess up your pretty face."

"I feel like trash, Gin!" Hermione cried. "People only use me to get what they want!"

"It's only stupid prats who do that." Ginny told her. "Now dry your tears. Dean's not worth crying about."

"It's not about Dean anymore! It's about everyone who uses me! I'm tired of it!" Hermione wept.

Just then, Ron and Lavender came after dancing from a fast dance. Ron saw Hermione crying and instantly ran to her side. He put his hands around her shoulders and massaged them gently.

"What's wrong?" Ron whispered to Ginny.

"I'll tell you later." Ginny mouthed.

Lavender was just standing there, with her arms crossed. She suddenly felt a surge of envy as she saw her boyfriend, comforting Hermione. _She has no right to steal him from me! He's mine! _She thought overprotectively.

"You guys shouldn't waste your time on me. Go on and dance. Have fun." Hermione told them. She wiped her eyes and ended up smudging her eye shadow.

"We'd rather stay here with you." Ginny answered. "I don't know where Harry went so I'll stay right here and make you feel better."

"D'you wanna drink?" Ron asked Hermione. He offered her his drink and she readily accepted it. She quickly drank it in one gulp. Then, a slow song came on.

"Come on Ron! Let's not waste time!" Lavender complained. She grabbed Ron's arms and dragged him away. "I love this song!"

"Not yet. Not when Hermione's hurting." Ron argued.

"No, Ron. Your girlfriend is much more important than me." Hermione said. She smiled and added, "I'll be fine. Besides, Ginny's here to keep me company."

"You heard what she said! Now come on!" Lavender pleaded.

Ron looked at Hermione and reluctantly nodded. "Fine. But…"

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

"Promise to save me one dance." Ron grinned.

"I promise." Hermione smiled.

"LET'S GO!" Lavender yelled. She strongly grabbed Ron and dragged him to the dancing area.

"How can he stand her?" Ginny commented. "Let's go sit down over there." They walked over to the side tables and sat down, watching the couples dance.

"Thanks for staying, Gin." Hermione smiled gratefully.

"No problem." Ginny said, giving her the thumbs up. After the song, they surprisingly saw Harry (who was wearing a nice, formal tux) step into the center with a wand on his hand.

"_Sonorus!_" He chanted. "Hello? Is this working?"

"Yes!" The crowd screamed.

"Ok." Harry said. "I won't take long, because I know you all wanna dance."

"HELL YEAH!" Somebody yelled.

"But I just wanted to say…" Harry cleared his throat. "I met this girl when I was only 11 years old. She was shy but she was pretty. Besides that, she was my best friend's sister."

"Oh my Lord!" Ginny muttered.

"I, being an idiot, took 6 damn years to notice that I loved her." Harry continued. At this, Ginny received lots of stares heading her way. "I loved her ever since I saw her in King's Cross. And I would just like to dedicate this song to her. It's a muggle song, but it's exactly how I feel about her." Then he whispered to his wand, "_Quietus!_" Then, he walked over to where Ginny was staring (Ron was giving him a murderous look but he didn't notice) and said, "Would you like to dance?"

Ginny felt like she was going to faint. "Y-yeah." Harry took her hand and kissed it gently. Then, they went to the dance floor as the music began to play.

Hermione felt happy for Ginny. _I guess I might as well leave_, she thought. But suddenly, someone grabbed her arm before she could get up.

"Don't forget your promise." A voice said.

She turned around and saw Ron, grinning at her. "Do you wanna dance this with me?"

"What about Lavender?" She asked as Ron led her to the dancing floor.

"She'll understand." Ron assured her. Ron was also wearing a nice tux but his bowtie was crooked. Hermione fixed it for him and grinned.

_"I do, I do I do,_

_All I am, all I'll be  
Everything in this world  
All that I'll ever need  
Is in your eyes  
Shining at me  
When you smile I can feel  
All my passion unfolding"_

Ron gently put his arms around Hermione's waist and Hermione put her arms around Ron's broad shoulders. Then, they started to sway gently.

"Ron…" Hermione began.

"Yes?" Ron asked.

"I'm sorry for leaving during the Christmas ball." Hermione said. "I know I already apologized, but I can't help feeling guilty."

_"Your hand brushes mine  
And a thousand sensations  
Seduce me 'cause I"_

"That was a long time ago, Herm." Ron told her. "Besides, if you didn't leave, I wouldn't have found Lavender."

_"I do cherish you  
For the rest of my life  
You don't have to think twice"_

"I guess." Hermione agreed. She looked deep into Ron's eyes and remembered the good times they had. It felt like it was all flashing back to her.

_"I will love you still  
From the depths of my soul  
It's beyond my control  
I've waited so long to say this to you  
If you're asking do I love you this much  
I do"_

Hermione glanced over to Harry and Ginny, who were looking at each other dreamily. She chuckled to herself, thinking how far they had gone. They started from being friends, with Ginny being shy around Harry. But now, they were the cutest couple ever.

_"In my world, before you  
I lived outside my emotions  
Didn't know where I was going  
'Till that day I found you  
How you opened my life  
To a new paradise  
In a world torn by change  
Still with all my heart  
'Till my dying day"_

"I hope you don't feel too weird about Harry and Ginny anymore." Hermione said.

"Nah. I got used to it now." Ron laughed. "But sometimes I still feel like it's my job to protect Ginny. Like the way I used to protect you."

Hermione blushed. "We always argued, didn't we?"

"But in the end, we're still friends." Ron added. "I'm surprised you actually had the patience with me. Even if I acted like a complete jerk."

_"I do cherish you  
For the rest of my life  
You don't have to think twice  
I will love you still  
From the depths of my soul  
It's beyond my control  
I've waited so long to say this to you  
If you're asking do I love you this much  
I do"_

"Well, you still are." Hermione joked. Ron smiled at her.

**Focus to Ginny and Harry**

"I love you, Harry Potter." Ginny told Harry as they danced to the song.

"I love you more." Harry argued.

"No, I love you more." Ginny said stubbornly.

"No, I love you more." Harry replied.

"Oh yeah?" Ginny grinned.

"Yeah." Harry grinned back. And with that, he leaned closer to Ginny and they shared a long, sweet kiss.

Back to Ron and Hermione

Hermione felt Ron tremble when he saw this from a distance.

"Let them be." Hermione whispered to him.

"I know. It's hard though." Ron answered.

_"Yes I do_

_Do I really love you_

_I do_

_Do I really love you_

_If you're asking do I love you this much_

_Baby I do"_

As the song ended, Ron and Hermione remained staring at each other's eyes. Hermione seemed lost in Ron's deep blue eyes. She felt as if she could stay there forever and not care at all. She felt like resting her head on his chest but she knew better. Lavender would have a fit.

_"I do cherish you  
For the rest of my life  
You don't have to think twice  
I will love you still  
From the depths of my soul  
It's beyond my control  
I've waited so long to say this to you  
If you're asking do I love you this much  
I do"_

And with that, Ron let go of Hermione's waist and Hermione did the same to Ron's shoulders.

"Thanks for saving me a dance." Hermione said.

"It was my pleasure." Ron replied.

Just then, Lavender barged in and said, "Ron, I have something to tell you."

"Wha - " Ron began but Lavender grabbed his head and pulled him to her and kissed him fiercely. They heard a few whistles and hoots but they were too involved into each other that they didn't care.

And as Lavender kissed Ron, she opened her eyes and looked at Hermione triumphantly. And at the same time, a huge realization came to Hermione. _I'm in love with Ronald Weasley._

A/n: Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter! Thanks a lot to the reviewers:

**What-ever** – I don't really know much about Ginny's character. So I kinda made it up…she's not describe as much in the books so yeah…thanks for liking my fic!

**Sugar high** – hahaha I hope you liked this chapter! And I'm STILL scared of your minions.

**Lost Dove** – awww! Thanks for loving my fic! It makes me so happy. Dean's with Hermione...er…Hannah…by the way.

**Kelpiemonkey** – Sorry to say that Hermione's pregnant! But I guess you figured that out on your own hehehehe. Your reviews scare me…it's like you want to attack me or something (LOL). Thanks for the compliments!

**RonsInnerVoice **– Don't worry…patience my dear. She'll go…eventually…

And don't be shy to review! I know you want to (lol)


	17. I found her like this

A/n: Ahh! Sorry guys! Late update here! Thanks for the reviews! Woohoo! It's March Break for me here!

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but the plot.

**Chapter Seventeen**

Hermione decided that she should just leave the ball. Nobody would notice and everyone was busy having fun. Despite that, she couldn't stand to see Lavender kissing Ron right in front of her. She hurried out of the Great Hall and decided to go to her room. On her way, she stopped. A feeling of dizziness overcame her. She tried to grab something to hold on to but she couldn't. She dropped like a fly on the floor.

Ron broke off the kiss he was having with Lavender. Lavender on the other hand, was extremely surprised.

"What's wrong now?" She demanded. She put her hands on her hips and stared angrily at Ron.

"I – I have to go to the Men's Room." Ron excused. He searched the crowd for Hermione but failed to find her. _Where in bloody hell could she have gone to?_ He asked himself. Ron continued to walk around and eventually decided to ask someone about Hermione's whereabouts.

"Excuse me, Padma?" He asked.

"No, I'm Parvati." The girl replied. She gave Ron an annoyed look. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know if you've seen Hermione." Ron asked politely.

"Why are you looking for her? Isn't my friend Lavender good enough for you?" Parvati said angrily. Ron remained silent and Parvati continued, "Well, if you really want to know, I saw her going up to her room."

"Thanks." Ron nodded. As he walked away, he thought about what Parvati had said. Why _was _he looking for Hermione? _Because I'm concerned about her, because she's my friend, because I'm worried. Why would I be worried? _Thoughts ran across Ron's mind as he continued to look for Hermione.

Ron turned the corner and gasped at what he saw. It was Hermione, laying on the floor. He quickly ran towards her and bent down to check on her.

"Herm? Hermione?" Ron asked. He shook her mildly. "Herm? What's wrong?" Hermione didn't stir a bit. "Oh man." He gently picked Hermione up and was surprised that she was quite heavy. His hand accidentally landed on her stomach and he realized it felt…weird. It was rounder than most stomachs but it didn't seem like it was fat. He looked at Hermione's blank face and suddenly developed the urge to **_kiss _**her. _Nobody would know, _he thought to himself. As he leaned forward, he stopped. _No, I still love Lavender. I'm not gonna do this. _

Ron decided to take Hermione to the infirmary. He climbed the stairs and hurriedly walked to the clinic. _Why did Hermione faint anyway?_ He asked himself. When he got to the clinic, he was about to knock on the door when he heard noises inside the room.

"Ohhh Argus!" He heard Madame Pomfrey shriek.

"Shhh! Poppy don't cause such a ruckus!" Filch scolded.

Ron wanted to burst out laughing but he knew that he might end up dropping Hermione so he controlled himself. He re-composed himself and knocked on the door. The noises inside immediately stopped and Ron heard things moving. Then, someone finally opened the door.

"Er – hello there Mr. Weasley." Madame Pomfrey greeted. Her hair was a little messed up and her lipstick was smudged. "How may I help you?" Her eyes landed on the slumbering Hermione in Ron's arms. "Well come on in!"  
Inside, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, was fixing up his clothes. Ron wanted to burst out laughing again but turned his attention back to Hermione.

"So, Pop – er – Miss Pomfrey – I'll be back tomorrow to fix the other beds." Argus said in a serious tone.

"Very well. Thank you Mr. Filch." Madame Pomfrey answered. Filch looked at Ron suspiciously and scurried out of the room.

"Now, put her on the bed, dearie." The nurse told Ron. Ron did as he was told while Madame Pomfrey examined Hermione. "How did she faint?"

"I – I'm not exactly sure." Ron replied. "I found her like this."

"Hmmm…" Madame Pomfrey frowned. "Well I'm going to have to tell you to step outside for now while I examine her."

"Will she be alright?" Ron asked.

"We'll see." Madame Pomfrey smiled weakly and gently pushed Ron outside.

Ron stood outside the door, pacing back and forth. He felt nervous for Hermione. Questions raced through his mind. After about 10 minutes, Madame Pomfrey let him in again. She looked at him skeptically and told him to sit down.

"So, what's the matter with her?" Ron asked. "Probably overworked herself again, huh?"

Madame Pomfrey didn't smile. She looked at him sternly. "Ron, I can't believe you would do something like this."

"Pardon me?" Ron asked, feeling confused.

"Her life will never be the same again. And neither will be yours." Madame Pomfrey continued. "She's too young for this. Both of you are."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Ron told her.

Madame Pomfrey sighed. "Ron, Hermione's pregnant."

A/n: Ahh! That was sort of a cliffhanger huh? Sorry guys if this was so short! I'm just really busy nowadays! I'll try to get another chap uploaded soon to make up for my long delay! Of course, thanks to:

**Sugar high** – thank you so much for your compliment! I hope you liked this chapter.

**Rach** – Thanks for enjoying my story! I enjoy writing it too!

**RonsInnerVoice** - Hope you liked this chapter! Lavender will go away. Eventually.

**Melissa** – don't worry, Harry has Ginny so he won't be too left out.

**Arynnl** – Yay! I really appreciate the fact that you remember my story even if you're in Brazil! Hope you're having fun there!

**Ferpectly** – thanks! I hope you like this chap.

**HermioneG15** – Yay you came back! I thought you forgot about my poor fic!

**Lost Dove** – I'm so glad you liked the previous chapter! Thank you!

**Ktisaqt90210** – Don't worry! This story's almost done!


	18. “YOU TOOK INTEREST IN A MALFOY?”

A/n: Ok hey again guys! I updated extra early so I hope you enjoy this!

Disclaimer: yada yada yada

**Chapter Eighteen**

            "Excuse me?" Ron asked. He felt his body go numb as he stared hard at the stone floor.

            "Hermione's pregnant, Mr. Weasley." Madame Pomfrey repeated. "And honestly, I can't believe that you and her could ever do such a thing! You're so young…"

            "But I didn't do it, ma'am." Ron replied. "I didn't do anything to her. I never would." He walked over to Hermione's bed, looking at her in disbelief. "She must've done it with someone else."

            "But who?" Madame Pomfrey asked. "Miss Granger doesn't strike me as a girl who would do something like that. I would never expect her to do this on her own will. Somebody must've forced her."

            Ron nodded. He didn't know what to say. He sat on Hermione's bed and stroked her hair. _Who did it to you Hermione? I swear, when I find out who that bastard is, I'm gonna make him pay_, he thought. His blood began to boil. How dare someone do this to Hermione? His best friend. The girl he had loved ever since he saw her for the first time. It's not fair! Why her? She's too young! She had so much going for her…

            Ron continued to stroke Hermione's hair. He leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead but Hermione's eyes suddenly fluttered open. Ron stopped himself and looked at her surprised, brown eyes.

            "Ron? What on earth?" Hermione asked. "Where am I? What's going on here?" She sat up and looked around and realized she was in the clinic.

            "Ahem." Ron coughed, signally Madame Pomfrey to leave them alone. The nurse nodded and left. Ron turned his attention to Hermione. "Herm, are you hiding something from me?"

            "Whatever do you mean?" Hermione laughed. "Why would I hide something from you?" The look in Ron's eyes made Hermione feel guilty.

            "Hermione, I already know." 

            "Know what?"

            "You're pregnant, aren't you?" 

            Hermione's eyes widened. "What? No! Don't be silly!" She forced herself to laugh. How did he know? 

            "You fainted somewhere near the stairs. I found you and I brought you here. Madame Pomfrey examined you and told me you were pregnant." Ron said seriously. 

            "I – there must be s-some m-mistake!" Hermione stuttered. "Do you really think I'm pregnant, Ron? Do you honestly think I'd go out there and get myself pregnant?"

            Ron stared at her blankly. "I don't know. But Madame Pomfrey's been a nurse for quite some time now. I don't think she could be wrong about this."

            Hermione looked at Ron and tears filled her eyes. So, the secret was out. There was nothing she could do about it. She put her hands on her face and began to cry. "I'm sorry Ron! I'm so sorry!"

            Ron patted her back. "There's nothing more that we could do. Except…" He removed Hermione's hands from her face and said, "Who did it to you Hermione? Who's the bastard that did this to you?"

            Hermione started to shake. More tears fell from her eyes.  "I – I can't tell you." 

            Ron held her shoulders tightly. "Why? Why are you trying to protect the fucking basket case who did this to you? I swear I'll make him pay for this Herm. I promise you that…"

            "No, Ron, please." Hermione pleaded. "Just, leave it alone…"

            "LEAVE IT ALONE?" Ron exclaimed. "I can't leave this alone! Nobody who hurts my best friend could get away with this." Ron was turning bright red. "I care for you Hermione. I care about you a lot more than you can imagine. And I want you to be happy all the time. I just can't accept the fact that…"

            "Listen! Ron! If I can accept the fact that I'm pregnant, then maybe you can!" Hermione yelled. "Do you think it's easy for me? Do you think I enjoy this? I don't, ok? I don't!" 

            Ron did nothing but hold Hermione close to him as she continued to sob. "Please Hermione; you have to tell me who did this to you."

            Hermione looked at the mix of anger and pity in Ron's eyes. "M – Malfoy." 

            Ron felt his insides explode. "What?" He yelled. Ron stood up and made his hand form a fist. He was shaking with anger. It wasn't just any man who did this to Hermione. It was a Malfoy. And that just made it worse.

            "Ron, please, listen!" Hermione explained. "He's not all to blame. I am too." Ron looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. "I – I've been seeing him for the past few months since school began. I took an interest in him and honestly, I thought he actually changed from a beast to a kind bloke. But I was wrong. I was stupid to trust him."

            "YOU TOOK INTEREST IN A MALFOY?"

            "Ron you don't understand! Listen to me!" Hermione cried. "I loved him. Or I thought I did. And he said he loved me too. I thought my life was perfect with him. And on the Christmas ball, we….we did it."

            "For the love of God Hermione!" Ron said exasperatedly. "For a smart girl you act like such an idiot! How could you trust that git? That bloody git who made fun of you ever since we were first years? The git who Harry and I loathed? The git who made our lives miserable?"

            "You don't have to tell me what I did wrong ok?" Hermione sobbed. "I already know that! I screwed up, big time. I can't believe I trusted him. And now, look at where he got me into." Ron tried to calm down but he felt like running away and beating up Malfoy. Hermione cleared her throat and continued, "He said that he doesn't want anything to do with the baby. He told me that if I told anyone I was pregnant, he would kill me."

            "He wouldn't dare. I won't let him lay a finger on you, Hermione." Ron said angrily. His shoulders heaved up and down. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're pregnant."

            "I was thinking of abortion…but it seemed cruel to me." Hermione said softly as she rubbed her hands on her stomach. "I've had it for about a month and a half now. I guess I fainted because I felt weak." Ron didn't know what to say, but Hermione did. "Ron, when I told you I had to do homework instead of going to Hogsmeade…I lied. I stayed so I could be with Malfoy."  
            Ron stared at her. He wanted to slap her and call her names and swear at her. But at the same time, he wanted to kiss her and hold her and tell her that it's ok and he loves her. But he couldn't. His pride and anger took over him. "I have nothing to say about this matter anymore. Are you going to tell Harry and Ginny?"

            Hermione sighed. "I don't know. I don't know anymore, Ron. I just don't know." 

            "So what are you going to do with it?" Ron asked in a mild whisper. And for once, Hermione didn't have an answer.

A/n: Ahhh! A little dramatic here but yeah…Next chapter coming next week! Of course, lots of thank yous to:

**Aries11** – Thanks for sticking around!

**Arynnl** – Welcome back! Hope you had fun in Brazil!

**Meliflames** – well, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!

**Hollie** – Ron's a sweetie. He doesn't strike me as someone who would cheat on his girl friend…even if it's Lavender.

**HermioneG15** – Hahaha I don't know what's going on with Madame Pomfrey and Filch! Who knows? I don't wanna know! Hehehe. Yay I'm glad you're still coming back to my fic!


	19. I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT!

A/n: Oh my gosh! I like, totally forgot to update for so long! I'm so sorry guys! Thanks for the reviews! 

Chapter Nineteen 

****

            "Excuse me?" Madame Pomfrey coughed from behind Hermione and Ron who were still wrapped up in their embrace. "It's getting quite late, I think you should go to your common rooms now. Hermione, however, can stay here if she wishes." 

Ron slowly let go of Hermione. "You're right. Well, I guess I better go."

"So will I." Hermione said.

"No, it's better if you stayed here." Ron told her.

"He's right, Ms. Granger. I think you'll need a lot of rest. You look extremely tired to me." Madame Pomfrey agreed. "You need as much rest and energy as possible, considering that you're…" She loooked uneasy.

Hermione's eyes began to well up with tears again but she nodded in agreement. "Very well."

"Good bye, Hermione Granger." Ron said as he stood up and walked away while Hermione lay on her bed, crying. 

*          ~          *          ~          *

When Ron got in the common room, Lavender was waiting for him with a huge frown on her face. She looked extremely irritated. 

"Where were you? You left me by myself in the dance! I looked like a complete doofus." Lavender snapped. 

"Sorry. I had some things to take care off." Ron answered softly. 

"Like what? As if there's anything more important than me!" Lavender scoffed. Then, Ginny and Harry came from behind her.

"'Oi Ron! Where ya been? You missed the rest of the dance. It was wicked." Harry told him.

"Yeah! Celestina threw exploding snaps to the audience. It was quite amusing." Ginny piped up. 

"Can the two of you go away? Can't you see I'm trying to have a conversation with Ron here? You two always pop up, we never get to be alone to ourselves!" Lavender told them angrily. "And honestly, I'm sick of it!"

"Did it ever occur to you that we're sick of you too?" Ginny growled. Her face was turning red. 

Lavender gave her a murderous look. "I never liked you Ginny. Honestly, the first time I ever saw you in my 2nd year I knew I wouldn't get along with you. You were wearing your ugly robes, and your hair was simply horrendous!"

"People can always fix what their hair looks like, Lavender. But not everyone can fix their face. That's a shame for you…I think you really need to get yours fixed." Harry said. 

Ginny snorted with laughter while Lavender turned bright pink. Lavender turned to Ron and said, "Are you just gonna stand there and watch your bratty sister and her stupid boyfriend make fun of me?"

Ron looked at her and grinned. "Yep."

Lavender's face grew red and hot. "Of all the nerve! Why Ron Weasley I expected more from you! I thought you loved me! You said you loved me!"

"Well, I guess I didn't. And since we're all being so honest here, you _were _starting to get quite annoying." Ron admitted. "Look, I'm sorry Lavender, I really am. I thought you were really the one for me at the time…"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!" Lavender yelled, causing many faces to look their way. "FORGET IT RON WEASLEY! IT'S OVER!" She looked at Harry and Ginny evilly and stomped her way to the girls' dorms.

A few students were laughing at the sight of Lavender's flushed face while others were gasping and felt sorry for her.

"Well that went well." Harry joked. He saw the seriousness in Ron's face and added, "It's a shame though, you guys made a cute couple…"  
            "Oh drop it Harry." Ron said. "She was starting to get on my nerves. I've been wanting to get rid of her but I didn't know how."  
            "Well, seriously Ron, I don't know what you saw in her." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Anyway, moving on, where'd you go?"

"I – I found out something about Herm." Ron said, looking at the floor. "She – she's – she's pregnant." Ginny gasped. Harry's mouth hung open. 

"B-but how? H-Hermione Granger?  _Our _Hermione Granger?" Ginny stuttered. "But that's absurd!"

"This is a joke right? It's not April fools day yet, Ron. Don't try to pull our legs now." Harry said, feeling confused. 

"I'm not lying. I found her on the staircase. She fainted and I brought her to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey examined her and told me she was pregnant." Ron explained. He wanted to tell them the thing that made his blood boil most. And that was the fact that Draco Malfoy was the father. But he couldn't. It would be better if they heard it from Hermione. 

"I – I can't believe this! This isn't funny Ron." Ginny said. "I must be dreaming. Wake me up Harry."  
            "I'm afraid it's not a dream." Harry shushed her. He looked at Ron's face. It was full of emotions. Sadness, anger, disappointment…all filled his young, handsome face. "Are you…ok about this?"

"It's her life. I don't have the right to change it or have a say about it." Ron shrugged. 

"But Ron - " Ginny began.

"I'm tired. I'm gonna go hit the covers now." Ron told them. He gave a fake yawn and made his way to the boy's dorms.

"I'll go with you." Harry said. He gave Ginny a goodnight kiss and followed Ron. 

"I guess I'll sleep too. It's pretty late." Ginny nodded. 

Ron knew they were only trying to make him feel better. But there was nothing they could do. What's done is done. Nobody can change the past. As Ron changed into his pyjamas, all he could think about was Hermione and her baby. He tried to get her out of his head but failed. Even in his dreams, she was there. She was wearing all white, and she was carrying what seemed like a bundle of cloth. 

"Ron," She called in his dream. "Come here…" She stretched out one of her arms to him. Ron took it and held it tightly. Suddenly, Hermione's face changed. It turned into Professor Trelawney's face.

"I told you she needed help!" Trelawney laughed. 

"Help me, Ron!" Hermione's voice called from somewhere.

"How can I?" Ron called out.

Then, he woke up.

A/n: Well, hope you guys liked that chapter! I'll try to update really soon! Thanks to:

Nugristiel08LG

Sugar high

Lucy ;) xxx

HermioneG15

Aries11

RonsInnerVoice

laxgirl


	20. “That girl in Gryffindor? The head girl?...

A/n: Wow! 102 reviews! I never knew I'd get that many reviews for a fic! Especially coz this is my first one! I can't believe it! I'm so happy! Thank you sooo much guys!

Chapter Twenty 

****

            Hermione barely slept a wink last night. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. Most of all, she couldn't stop thinking about Ron. How sad he had been. How angry his expression was. How shocked and betrayed he felt. She realized how much he really cared for her. She felt her stomach again, then sighed. Tears began to form in her eyes again. _Stop crying! You did this to yourself! Hermione thought to herself. It was a Sunday, meaning students could go to Hogsmeade. Hermione sighed again. She was hungry but she couldn't dare face Ron after what happened. She had a feeling he probably told Harry and Ginny and that made her feel even more embarrassed. She was ashamed of herself. ___

_            What am I gonna do now?_ She thought. _Now that Ron knows…ugh! This is so complicated! I don't know what to do! Think Hermione! Think! _She turned to her side and saw a picture of her, Ron, Harry and Ginny on her bedside table. In the picture, they were all smiling and laughing. Hermione (in the picture) had her arm around Ron while Ginny and Harry were giggling beside him. The real Hermione, however, started to cry_. I wish it was still like this…I wish none of this ever happened._

~          *          ~          *          ~

            Ron noticed that Hermione was avoiding him. Even if it had already been a week since their little 'incident' in the clinic, she looked even more unhappy and tired. He wanted to go up to her and cheer her up with one of his lame jokes. That always made her laugh. But for some reason, something was stopping him. Something he couldn't explain. It felt like there was a barrier between them now. A barrier he couldn't break. But he knew he had to. 

            Hermione also seemed to ignore Ginny and Harry as well. Whenever Ginny would try to have a conversation with her, she would merely nod and walk away. Harry tried to talk to her as well, but she just shrugged him off and carried on with her work. She was always in the library or in her room. People hardly saw her. She still patrolled the halls at night, but usually on her own. 

            "So, did she finally say more than 'yes', 'ok', 'no' or 'maybe' to you?" Ginny asked Harry during lunch.

            Harry shook his head. "No. I think I'm starting to bug her. Whenever I walk to her she gets this irritated look."

            "Ron, have you tried talking to her?" Ginny asked.

            "No. I don't think I can." Ron replied. He searched the Gryffindor table for Hermione, but couldn't find her. "She's probably in the library again. She's not here."

            "Poor Herm!" Ginny sighed. "We try to help her, we really do. But she's just too stubborn!"

            "That's Hermione alright." Harry agreed. "You know how she rarely asks for help. She wants to be independent. She always wants things to be done by herself so she can feel proud."  
            "But she can't go on by herself anymore!" Ginny argued. "She needs us. I can see that in her eyes. She's lost and confused and alone. You know how the say, 'the times your friends push you away are the times they need you most'. That's so true."

            "Personally, I - " Harry began but he got cut off as someone's elbow hit him on the head.

            "Oops. I didn't mean to do that." Lavender smirked. "It must be because your big head was in the way Harry." 

            "Get the fuck away from us, bitch." Ron said rudely. Lavender scowled at him and walked away to sit with a bunch of Hufflepuff boys.

            "Honestly, I can't believe you saw something in that whore." Ginny gritted. "Sorry. It just came out." 

            "Hey, what can I say? The truth hurts." Ron grinned.

            Ginny grinned back at her brother. Even if Ron tried to look cheerful, she knew that deep inside he was hurting because of Hermione. She took a huge gulp from her drink and said, "So what were you saying Harry?"  
            "Well, I think that maybe, _Ron should talk to her." Harry suggested._

            "Why me?" Ron asked.

            "Hermione usually opens up to you more than she does to me or even Ginny." Harry answered. "The two of you have this…this bond that I can't explain. It's like, you guys feel what each other's feeling. It's kinda strange…but anything that has to do with you, Ron, is strange." 

            Ron punched Harry playfully in the arm. 

            "But you know what the thing she is most ashamed off?" Ginny asked. "She's most ashamed of the fact that Ron knows." 

            Ron gave her a quizzical look.

            Ginny sighed. "Must I explain everything? We all know she likes you and you like her back. But for some stupid reason, you went out with Lavender. I don't know why. Maybe you were trying to make her jealous? Who knows?"

            "Excuse m-" Ron began to argue but Ginny kept going. 

            "I have to agree with Harry. I think you guys oughta talk this out." 

            "I – I don't know." Ron answered softly.

            "Please Ron. Do it for me and Harry. Do it for yourself. And most of all do it for Hermione." Ginny pleaded. Then, a group of Ravenclaw girls passed by them.

            "You know that Hermione girl?" One of them said. 

            "That girl in Gryffindor? The head girl?" Another asked.

            "Yeah that one." The first girl nodded.

            "What about her?" Another girl asked.

            "Well, I heard she was…pregnant." The first girl whispered.

            "What? How do you know this for sure?" The second girl asked curiously. "I thought she was just fat but I didn't expect her to be pregnant!"

            "My friend's friend's cousin's best friend's boyfriend's girlfriend's niece's brother's friend overheard Madame Pomfrey telling Professor Mcgonagall about it." The first girl said proudly.

            "I always knew that she was a skank!" The second girl said.

            "Hermione is _not a skank! That's one of the last things she is!" Ron snapped angrily at them and walked away._

*          ~          *          ~          *

            Hermione quickly made her way to her room. She didn't want to have any encounters with anybody. She rarely spoke to the Prefects and when they try to start up a conversation with her, she would make up a lie and leave. As she walked up the stairs, something grabbed her arm. 

            "Excuse me, but will you please let me go?" She said, not turning around. She suddenly had that feeling in her stomach. Her heart was beating rapidly and she immediately suspected who the person was. 

            "Not unless you talk to me first." The voice replied.

            "I'm not in the mood to talk to anybody right now." Hermione responded, still not looking at the person who grabbed her. "Will you please let me go now? I'll scream if you don't. I'm a Head Girl mind you…"

            "I know. Everyone knows. Miss perfect Hermione Granger." The voice answered. "Don't you have a few minutes to spare, even for me?" 

            Hermione turned around and was right. It was Ron, standing there with his sad, pleading eyes. "Oh not those eyes again. You know how those eyes make me feel like a cold heartless creature."

            Ron grinned. "I know. That's why I use them."

            Hermione smiled. Then her smile disappeared as she remembered what happened. She put a hand on her stomach and couldn't bear to look at Ron. "So, uh, what did you wanna talk to me about?"

            Ron was still staring at her though. She looked so melancholy and frail. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

            "I – I – I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione said as she looked at the ground.    

            "You've been avoiding Harry and Ginny too." Ron continued. "Why Hermione? Why?"

            "Don't ask me questions! I have so many questions myself, and I have no answers for them!" Hermione cried. "I – I don't know what to do anymore!" 

            "I told Harry and Ginny you were pregnant." Ron told her. "I didn't tell him who the father was though. Word's been spreading around the school. The professors already know."

            Hermione nodded. "I know. Madame Pomfrey's giving me a strict diet of what I should and shouldn't eat. She's helping me go through this…but it's not enough. I wish I didn't have to…"

            Ron reached for Hermione's hands and held them tightly. He looked at her and said, "If only I could, I would take the pain away from you and suffer through it myself instead of seeing you getting hurt like this."  
            Hermione looked at him and tears formed in her eyes. "Oh God, Ron. Please! Stop it! How can you be so kind when I've been so stupid?"

            Ron held her close and they sat on the stairs. "Because I love you." 

            "What?"  
            "I love you, Hermione. Ever since our first year. I couldn't tell you, I was too scared and shy. I didn't think you'd like me more than a friend."

            "Oh, Ron."

            "I tried to forget about you. That's why I went out with Lavender. But she was nothing like you. You were one of a kind. I knew there was something in you that none of the other girls had. You were smart, kind, determined, beautiful…Hermione you were perfect."

            "Stop it Ron! Stop it!" Hermione cried. "Just shut up! You don't know what you're saying!"

            "Yes I do. It's what I should've said all along. Then maybe this wouldn't have happened."

            Suddenly, two boys began to go up the stairs they were sitting on.

"Is that the guy she slept with?" A young third-year boy asked curiously to his friend. 

            "Yeah I think it is. Who else?" His friend replied.

            "Maybe Harry Potter!" The boy suggested.

            Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and ran to her room. 

            "For your information you little brats, Hermione did not sleep with me or Harry Potter. Understand?" Ron scolded them angrily. 

            "Ye-yes-s-s-sir. Wha-Whattever you s-s-say!" The boy stuttered and ran off with his friend. 

            Ron sighed and continued on downstairs. _Well that went well_, he thought to himself.

A/n: AWw…wasn't that sweet? Now go be sweethearts and review my story! Hehehe thanks to:

Sunshine stargirl

Rw fan

Melzie Potter – thanks for the suggestion I might consider it!

Serge99

Natasha

Lucy ;) xxx
    
    Bec 
    
    Nugristiel08LG 


	21. And with that they shared a long passion

A/n: Oh my gosh! I'm SO sorry I haven't updated for such a long time now! I'm so sorry! Well, here is the 21st chapter…I hope you readers are still out there. 

**Chapter twenty one**

            "Well, at least you tried Ron. You really did." Ginny comforted her brother. "And I'm proud of you for doing so."

            Ron didn't say anything. He felt like a failure. While Hermione was out there, suffering because she was too damn stubborn to accept the fact that he loved her. 

            "I think we should hit the sack now." Harry suggested. "It's getting pretty late. Besides, there's nothing else we could do at this time." 

            Ginny nodded. "Yeah I agree. We could think of something else to do tomorrow morning." Ginny gave Harry a peck on the lips and made her way up to her dormitory. 

            "Are you coming up, Ron?" Harry asked.

            Ron shook his head. "No, not yet." 

            "Suit yourself." Harry told him and he went upstairs to the boys' dormitory. 

            _It can't just end like this, Ron thought to himself_. I have to do something_. He got up and decided to pay Hermione another visit. _

~          *          ~          *          ~

            _He loves me…well he **said he did. He must've been high on something. Hermione thought to herself as she sat on her bed. That moment with Ron made her feel terrible. She stuck around to hear him defend her from the first years that insulted her. All that time, he had loved her. And it was so hard for her to accept it. _I don't deserve Ron. He's too good for me._ Just then, someone knocked on the door.**_

            "Hermione! Someone here wants to see you." A female voice said.

            "Tell them I'm sleeping." Hermione replied. "I'm not up for seeing anybody right now." 

            "But this person's very insistent!" The voice answered. "He said he would-"

            "Hermione! Please I need to talk to you!" A masculine voice gasped at the door.

            "R-Ron?" Hermione stuttered as she recognized his voice.

            "How did you get in here?" The female asked suspiciously. Hermione stood up and rushed to the door and opened it.

            "It's ok Beth. I'll talk to this gentleman." Hermione smiled. 

            "Uhh…ok sure." Beth said, looking confused and left Ron and Hermione alone. 

            "So…what are you doing here?" Hermione asked. "How did you get in anyway?" 

            "Somebody went in the room and I sneaked in wearing Harry's cloak." Ron smiled proudly. "I just came to tell you, I wasn't lying about what I said. I meant every word of it." 

            Hermione felt herself turn red. "I – I just don't know what to say. I guess I'm kind of overwhelmed, that's all."

            Ron nodded understandingly. "I also wanted to let you know that if you need any help with uh…" he looked at Hermione's stomach. "Me, Harry and Ginny will always be here whenever you need us. Especially me."

            Hermione didn't know what she was doing but it seemed like her mind just stopped working. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Ron. Ron put his hands around her waist and leaned forward to kiss her.

            "I love you Ron. I only realized it a few days ago but I've loved you all along." Hermione confessed. "People told me you had feelings for me but I was too blind to believe it myself. But now I know that it's true. I love you Ronald Weasley."

            And with that, they shared a long passionate kiss.

A/n: Sorry if it was so short! Thanks to all the reviewers! I'll update soon! Sorry it's just that it's summer vacation and I'm kinda lazy lol.


	22. There’s nothing to talk about!

A/n: Hey! I finally uploaded! 22nd chapter here we go!

**Chapter twenty two**

****

            Ever since that day between Ron and Hermione in the dormitory, Hermione seemed a lot happier and she started to act normally. Her and Ron became closer than ever and Harry and Ginny were pleased. 

            "I'll see you at lunch alright?" Ron told Hermione as he headed of to his class.

            "Alright. Bye." Hermione smiled. She gave Ron a quick kiss on the cheek and headed the other direction. On her way, something grabbed her and pulled her in some sort of janitor's closet.

            "What the fuck?" She said angrily.

            "Shhh." The thing that grabbed her told her. 

            "Malfoy? What the fuck? What do you want from me?" Hermione demanded. "Let me go!" 

            Draco tightened his grip around her arm. "You're not going anywhere yet. Not until we talk."

            "There's nothing to talk about!" Hermione replied. "Now leave me alone!"

            "Are you going out with that Weasley prat?" Draco asked.

            "What's it to you?" Hermione spat. "Why do you care?"

            "I won't deny it anymore, Hermione. I want you back." Draco said, looking in her eyes the same way he did before when he told her he loved her. 

            "I'm not falling for this shit again you bastard." Hermione said angrily. "Let go of me or I'll scream."

            "Please Hermione, I know you want me back too." Draco pleaded.

            "No! I don't know why I ever did in the first place!" Hermione answered. 

            "While I was with Pansy, I realized that I didn't really love her. I loved _you. And I'm willing to take care of the baby." Draco told her. _

            Hermione looked at Draco in the eye. Was he really telling the truth or was it part of just another game? No, she couldn't get hurt again. Especially not by the same person. "I don't need you anymore, Malfoy. I'm fine on my own. Ron's here for me." 

            Malfoy looked shocked but he regained his cool and said, "You think that beggar could support you and OUR child? He can't even support himself!"

            "You know what? A person doesn't only need money to survive in this world. It's too bad you don't realize that." Hermione answered. "Good bye Draco."

            Draco reluctantly let her go and she went out of the closet.

*          ~          *          ~          *

            "What? I can't believe that jerk did that to you! Just wait 'til Ron hears about this!" Ginny said when Hermione told her about what happened with Malfoy.

            "No. I don't want Ron to know. He'll go crazy. You know how he has such a short temper." Hermione argued. "He'll get himself into some kind of trouble and I don't want that to happen."

            "If you say so." Ginny replied. "Look, there they are right now. Harry! Over here!" Harry and Ron were just coming in the Great Hall.

            "Sorry we were late. We kinda got in trouble with Professor Trelawney." Harry told them.

            "I can't believe you're still taking that stupid course." Hermione commented. 

            "At least it's our last year. None of the other courses interested me." Ron replied.

            "I can't believe the year's gonna be over in less than 3 months!" Harry said. "Don't worry, I'll try to get a job here so we'll see each other." He added when he saw the saddened look on Ginny's face. He held Ginny's hand tightly.

            "Ahem!" Ron coughed. Ginny turned red and let go of Harry's grip.

            The foursome kept laughing and talking until someone grabbed Hermione's hair and pulled her out of her seat.

            "You bitch! You motherfucking whore!" An angry girl screamed.

            "What the fuck?" Hermione shrieked. She kicked from behind her until the girl let go of her hair. She turned around and saw it was Pansy.

            Pansy was lying on the floor, crying. "You stole my dear Drakkie away from me! He won't make love to me anymore! All he thinks about is you!" She yelled. A group of students circled around them.

            Hermione was stunned. "Don't you understand? I don't _want_ your 'Drakkie'! I'm happy with Ron. And I'll stay happy as long as I'm with him." Ron smiled at her and she smiled back. "Malfoy was a bastard and chose you over me. I have to admit, it hurt. But now, I'm glad he chose you. Because if he didn't, I would've been in your place, crying my heart out for him when he won't ever cry for you."

            For some reason, someone started clapping and cheering for Hermione. Hermione smiled and turned around. She grabbed Ron's arm and said, "Let's get outta here."

            Ron grinned at her and said, "Where are we going?"

            "Anywhere you wanna go." Hermione replied. 

            As they walked away, Pansy stood up and jumped to grab Hermione but Ginny stood in the way and slapped her. Pansy's face was bright red.

            "Leave them alone you fucking slut!" Ginny told her. "Let her be happy. She deserves to be." She looked over at Ron and Hermione and smiled.

A/n: I hope that was a pretty ok chapter for you guys. I'll update soon. Thanks for reviewing! And by the way, **Lucy, Beth is one of the prefects. Thanks for the new reviewers too! Oh and also, **tigereyes****** you're right…I guess they wouldn't call her a mudblood but yeah…oh well…**


	23. “Who is Bulimaniciarada Bjork?

A/n: Yay for me! I uploaded faster than I thought I would've! I just want to get this story finished and over with so I can start another one hehehe. This chapter's quite boring actually, nothing special really happens in here. It's not really important you don't have to read it but I suggest you read the parts near the end.

**Chapter twenty three**

****

            "I never knew you had that angry, I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass side Hermione!" Ron teased as him and Hermione walked to the Quidditch Pitch. 

            Hermione laughed. "Well I don't know. Everyone has their limits."

            Ron agreed and held Hermione's hand tightly. Suddenly his expression became serious. "Are you sure you're not interested in that Malfoy git anymore?"

            "Don't worry. I'm only interested in you now, and _only_ you." Hermione assured him. "I learned my lesson with him."

            "He doesn't deserve a great girl like you." Ron said which made Hermione blush. "You don't deserve an asshole like him either. You deserve so much better."

            "What are you saying?" Hermione asked.

            "Well, it's just that…" Ron's voice trailed of. "I'm having doubts about, you know, _us."_

            "Ron, what are you talking about?" Hermione's tone of voice became higher. "Are you saying that this – _us_ – should be over?"

            "No of course not! I'd never dream of ending this!" Ron replied. "I'm just saying…maybe_ I _don't deserve you." 

            "What are you talking about Ron? I don't even know if I deserve _you!" Hermione answered. "It doesn't matter to me anymore! I love you and that's what counts." She leaned closer to Ron and kissed him fiercely. _

            "Wow Hermione. I've never seen _that_ side of you either, and I wanna see more of it!" Ron said as he kissed her again.

~          *          ~          *          ~

            "What's gonna happen to us Harry?" Ginny asked Harry that night in the Gryffindor common room. They were sitting next to each other on the couch in front of the fireplace, with Ginny's head resting on Harry's shoulder. "What's gonna happen when the school year ends?"

            Harry kissed her softly on the forehead. "I already told you.  You must've been sleeping again when I did."        

            Ginny giggled. "Probably."  
            "I'm gonna try to get a job here in Hogwarts." Harry told her once more.

            "What if you don't get one?" Ginny asked worriedly. "What are you applying for anyway?"

            "Oh, I don't know. Anything besides Filch's job. But if I have to do it, then I will." Harry replied. 

            "Have you even told Dumbledore about it?" Ginny asked as she lifted her head and faced Harry. "What if there are no more job positions for you?"

            "Don't worry a bit about it, Gin. I'm practically a shoo-in. I _know there's an open job here. I'm sure of it." Harry assured her, but deep in his head he thought, _I never really thought about this…what if there **are **no open jobs here in Hogwarts? Maybe it's time I should ask Dumbledore.__

            "Good." Ginny smiled. "I couldn't bear to think that I'd have to spend a whole year here without you." Ginny kissed him on the cheek and cuddled up to him. 

~          *          ~          *          ~

            The next day was the last day of March. Exams were coming up around the corner and everyone was nervous. Even Hermione.

            _I haven't studied at all for the past few months! I should've studied back in January but I didn't bother to think of exams back then. She thought as she remembered when she found out she was pregnant. She was around 3 months pregnant now, and more and more students are noticing it. She made sure to wear baggy clothes so it wouldn't be as obvious but since practically the whole school found out, it doesn't really make much of a difference. Ron, Hermione, Harry and of course, including Ginny, spent most of their time in library, cramming for exams. For once, Ron didn't complain. He loved spending every minute of the day with Hermione, even if it meant studying. _

            "Who is Bulimaniciarada Bjork?" Hermione questioned Harry and Ron. Harry and Ron looked at each other. 

            "Bu-who?" Ron asked with a confused look.

            "Ugh, I can't believe you don't know!" Hermione said frustratedly. "Come to think of it...even I don't remember who she is! I'll be right back." Hermione quickly got up and headed to the enormous bookshelves. She realized that she was starting to lose her ability to learn things just by hearing or seeing them once or twice.

            _Where is that damned book? She asked herself. She stepped on the 5th step on a stepping stool to reach the books that she couldn't. _Hmm…where is it? A-ha! There it is!_ She leaned over a bit and grabbed on a huge, thick book called 'Sorcerers, Sorceresses and everything about them'. Suddenly she leaned too much and the weight of the book pulled her down, causing her to fall. _

            Just then, something caught her, just in time to break her fall. The thing that caught her gently set her down on the floor and said, "Are you alright?" 

            "Uhh…yes I'm quite alright. Thank you." Hermione said gratefully. She turned around to thank her savior but he – she was pretty sure it was a man, she could tell by how strong his arms were – was gone. _Strange,_ she thought. _Very strange…_

~          *          ~          *          ~

            "Uh, excuse me professor. May I come inside to see Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked as Professor McGonagall stepped out of the statue.

            "What for?" McGonagall asked.

            "I - er – I have to ask him something." Harry said.

            "About what? Surely you can ask me instead. Do you have any idea what time it is?" McGonagall demanded.

            "Well, I was just wondering…could I perhaps….apply for a job here?" Harry inquired.

            "A job? Here at Hogwarts?" McGonagall asked surprisingly. "What kind of job are you interested in?"

            "I don't care what type of job, though I prefer being a broom instructor like Madame Hooch or something like that." Harry told her.

            "Oh. Well, I'm very sorry Harry." The professor paused. She looked at Harry sternly and gently at the same time. "I doubt that there are any positions open for you here. We already have a new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Ms. Figg. And Madame Hooch doesn't look like she's going to be retiring anytime soon." 

            Harry suddenly became worried. "I – I could do Filch's job!"

            McGonagall shook her head. "Filch does his job quite well by himself. We tried hiring another caretaker to work with him. It was nasty business! Filch became quite insane and we had to fire the other caretaker."

            "But please, surely there's another job somewhere for me?" Harry pleaded.

            "I don't know. I'll discuss it with the other professors when we have a meeting. Good night Harry." And with that, McGonagall went back inside.

A/n: o0o0ohhh I told you this wasn't much of an exciting chapter but it was actually pretty long. Thanks to the reviewers of course! **Meow-chan** I agree with you, I guess I did go pretty fast but I just wanted other things to happen so I made the things that had to happen in between fast so the things I wanted to happen would happen! Whoa did that make any sense? Thanks a lot to **Stephanie A.M. **too! Awww your review really flattered me thanks a lot!


	24. That’s it!

A/n: Hmm…well I just have to deal with some stuff first before I continue….

**Hedwig** – well I'm sorry if you were disgusted but I DID put warnings and author notes telling you about what I was gonna put so yeah…and if you ask me, my fic isn't really as disgusting as other romance fics out there.

**StRaWbErRy**** AnD BlUeBeRrIeS – this has always been an R/h story except before it was just focusing more on Hermione but now it's focusing more on both of them together. **

And that Bjork person is just girl I made up! She isn't real in the books so yeah.

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**Chapter twenty four**

            Draco was sitting by himself in the Slytherin common room, facing the roaring fireplace. In his hand, he clutched a letter that he had received from his father that morning. He had an angry, frustrated look on his face. So many emotions were bottled up. He unfolded the letter and re-read it again.

_You stupid, ungrateful child! I am ashamed to say that you are my flesh and blood! You have disgraced the Malfoy family more than anyone has in history! Of all the women, why did you have to pick that filthy, mudblood? And not just any mudblood was good enough for you. You had to pick Hermione Granger. Possibly the worst kind of mudblood to ever exist. I want you to come home tomorrow morning. You will not be staying long, so bring only important things. I already told you pathetic headmaster about this. He will give you permission to leave on the next train home. You will take a cab and go straight home._

_Lucius__ Malfoy_

Draco knew that if he went home, it wasn't gonna be good. Lucius had the worst temper a person could have. He would probably end up putting Draco in a cruciatus curse for two days minimum. _It's not fucking fair!_ Draco thought angrily. All his life, he had to live up to his father's expectations. He hated to admit it, but when he thought about the whole situation carefully, he didn't regret what he did to Hermione. He _did love her. In fact, he thought he still did. _

He remembered what had happened in the library a few moments ago. Hermione was looking for some book. She leaned over too far in an attempt to reach it and she almost fell. Luckily, he was nearby and caught her just in time. The feel of her body in his arms made Draco realize that he loved this girl a lot more than he could ever imagine. 

"Thank you." Hermione had said. Draco wanted to stay and talk but he knew that Hermione would have a fit if she saw him so he merely walked away and left Hermione to wonder. As he walked away, he kept telling himself that Hermione wasn't worth it, that she was nothing more but a filthy, ugly mudblood. His reputation was at stake and he knew he would have to face severe consequences if his feelings for her grew stronger than they did now. However, try as he might, he couldn't seem to get rid of the image of this smart, brown-haired, almond-eyed, proud and bossy know-it-all.

The next day, Draco woke up early and headed to the train station, carrying a small duffel bag. He got in the train and tried to relax on the ride home. When he reached King's Cross, he took a cab like his father ordered and got off at Malfoy Manor. He gave the driver a pretty big tip and walked slowly to the gates of his mansion. When he got in the house, his mother was sitting on a couch in the living room while his father was nowhere to be seen.

"Draco! My poor, poor boy." Narcissa cried. She got up and immediately hugged Draco. "Your father isn't home yet, but he will be in about two hours." She held Draco's pale face in her hands. "He – he isn't very pleased with what you did."  
            "I already know that." Draco said quietly. "I'm going to my room." 

As Draco went up the circling staircase, his mother asked, "But why Draco, dear? Why? Why Hermione?"

"Why not?" Draco answered back. 

Narcissa followed him. Draco knew she wouldn't stop bugging him unless he explain to her. "Draco, you know how your father feels about mud – erm – muggles! So why did you go out there and fu – uh, I mean – make 'love' to one?"

"Mother, I'm tired of listening to whatever father says!" Draco said angrily. His voice was trembling. "We always have to do what he says! It's like we're in a prison every time he's home."

"You know how hot-tempered your father is. He's just stressed with work -" Narcissa began. Draco made his way to his room. He had the second biggest room in the house. It had a king size bed, many cabinets, three drawers, a mirror and that was it. He didn't have a stereo or a phone. After all, Lucius didn't believe in using muggle appliances.

"Work! It's always work!" Draco replied. "Can you shut the door before you leave?" He put his bag on the floor and lay on the bed. 

Narcissa just stood by the door and stared at Draco for a few seconds, then she left, whispering things to herself. _Poor mother_, Draco thought. _She tries to keep father happy, she really does. But nothing's good enough for that bastard. Nothing. _Just as Draco was about to drift off to sleep, he heard Narcissa and an angry voice talking outside his door.

"He's still quite worn-out from the travel, Lucius dear." He heard Narcissa say. "Maybe you should let him rest first before talking to him."

"Do you think I care about this wretched boy?" The angry voice yelled. Draco heard someone hit something or someone loudly. Then he heard Narcissa sobbing. "Be quiet you useless bitch! Now get out of my way."

Draco's door burst open and there stood Lucius Malfoy, wearing a black cape. Narcissa came in behind him, crying while holding her left cheek. 

"Finally, you came." Lucius said with an evil grin. Draco sat up and looked at him angrily. "You will not be sleeping here tonight. Instead, you will be sleeping outside in the backyard with nothing but your skin and flesh."

"Oh dear, I heard that there might be a blizzard tonight." Narcissa said softly. "At least let it pass before you punish our soon."

"Don't tell me what to do woman!" Lucius yelled. He hit Narcissa again on the face. 

That was it. Draco stood up and went to Narcissa's side. "Stop it." He said firmly. "She didn't do anything to you."

"I'm fine, dear. Don't upset your father." Narcissa answered.

Lucius pointed his wand at Draco. "_Crucio__!" _

Draco fell to his knees and his whole body ached in pain. Narcissa bent down and said, "Your father is doing this to you because he loves you."

"Be quiet you fool!" Lucius ordered Narcissa. "Get me something to drink." 

"Y-yes of course." Narcissa mumbled. She quickly ran out of the room. 

"Your lucky I'm letting you off easily." Lucius said to Draco as he circled around him like an eagle eyeing its prey. "I would've gladly killed you, but you still might be of some use to me in the near future. I would've killed you a long time ago actually; I always thought children were nothing but a waste of time. You take care of them, send them to school and watch them grow. Then what? They are useless, pathetic little beings."

Draco tried to say something but the curse was too strong. 

"Is Granger pregnant?" Lucius asked. 

Draco tried to nod but he felt so much pain inside him, it seemed impossible. 

"ANSWER ME BOY!" Lucius yelled. He kicked Draco and put his foot on Draco's stomach. 

"Y-Yes." Draco sputtered. 

Lucius turned red and put all his weight on Draco. Draco started suffocating. 

"You stupid idiot! What are you going to do about the child?" Lucius demanded.

"W-we don't know." Draco said, gasping for breathe. "Sh-she'll t-take care of i-it. I t-told her I w-wanted n-nothing to do w-with the child."

"Here's your drink, dear." Narcissa said as she carefully entered the room with a tray.

"GET OUT YOU IMBICILE!" Lucius yelled. He got off Draco and grabbed the tray from Narcissa. Then he threw it at her head and pushed her out the door. 

_That's it! Draco thought. With all his strength he tried to overcome the curse. He grabbed his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Lucius. Lucius was still busy fighting with Narcissa. "__Avada_ Kedavra!_" Draco casted. _

As Lucius turned around to face Draco again, all he remembered was seeing a flash of bright green light. _Thud!_ Lucius fell on the floor, motionless.

Thank you to all the reviewers! 


	25. Pardon?

A/n: Thank you for the reviews guys! This is the 2nd or 3rd last chapter of this little fic of mine… thanks for sticking around! This is gonna be a **short, fluffy chapter! I'm gonna upload the next one very, very soon! I already typed it up and it's ready to go so yeah. **

**Chapter twenty five**

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            "Have you noticed something?" Ron asked Hermione as they were walking outside, hand in hand.

            "No." Hermione replied. "Am I supposed to?"

            "The ferret hasn't been around for awhile now." Ron said. "I wonder where he is. Hopefully that bloody git's been expelled."

            Hermione laughed. "Hopefully." 

            Then, they stopped. Ron faced Hermione. "Herm, look, I – I have something to tell you." Ron started to blush.

            "What? What is it Ron?" Hermione asked worriedly. "Are you sick or something?"

            "N-no, it's not anything like that." Ron told her. "I just…I just wanna…"

            "What?" Hermione asked looking at Ron curiously.

            "Willyoumarryme?" Ron said quickly.

            "Pardon?" Hermione said. 

            "W-will you m-marry m-me." Ron said slowly. "I – I don't mean for you to marry me now, like this year. Maybe next year, or whenever you feel ready to-" 

            "I thought you'd never ask!" Hermione smiled. She wrapped her arms around Ron and kissed him on the cheek.

            "Here. I know it's the traditional custom for the blokes to give the girls a ring when they ask them to marry them." Ron was saying as he took out a small box out of his pocket. He opened it and inside was a beautiful gold ring with a diamond. 

            "Ron! I – I can't take this! Not yet!" Hermione gasped. 

            "Please Hermione. Take it." Ron pleaded. He took Hermione's hand and inserted the ring in her ring finger. "It's not just an engagement ring, it's also a sign of how much I – I love you." Ron's face was now bright red. "You know how I don't like getting all mushy, but this ring can't even compare to how much I really feel." Ron looked away in embarrassment. "I was thinking that if we do get married in the future, I could be the child's father instead of that Malfoy prat. Unless of course you don't want me to…"

            Hermione put his face in her hands and pulled him closer to her and kissed him softly. "Thank you, Ron. Thank you for everything."

A/n: Ahh! So sappy lol. Well, please review! The aftermath of what happened to Draco and Lucius will come after this chapter! I just had to post this one first coz it's a really important chapter…well thanks in advance!


	26. It didn’t have to be you

A/n: Yay more reviews! I'm glad you guys are still here, reading my fic. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! You have no idea how happy you guys make me lol. Anyways, there's only like, a chapter left after this one so yeah. Thanks again!

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**Chapter twenty six**

            A few more weeks passed by quickly. The exams were coming up very, very soon. As Hermione, Harry and Ron walked in the Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall told Hermione to approach her.

            "Yes Professor?" Hermione asked.

            "If you haven't noticed, Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy hasn't been in school for quite awhile now." The professor said. "However, the school will no longer have a Head Boy until the Headmaster decides. The reason is, well, I don't want this to be circling around the school but -"

            Hermione stared at her eagerly.

            "Mister Malfoy is being sent to Azkaban for a five year sentence." McGonagall said flatly.

            Hermione gasped. "But w-why?"

            "He…" McGonagall looked away from Hermione. "He performed the Avada Kedavra curse on his father." 

            Hermione's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe it. Lucius Malfoy was killed by his own son. "How? Why?" Hermione was filled with questions.

            "I do not intend to further discuss the details of what happened, Miss Granger. You may sit down now." McGonagall said sternly.

            Hermione walked back to her seat, still shocked about what she just found out.

~          *          ~          *          ~

            "He **_what_**?" Ron exclaimed. Hermione had just told him and Harry about Draco and Lucius.

            "Shh! Be quiet Ron!" Hermione shushed him. "I can't believe it either. Who would've known…"

            "I don't blame him though, even if he was a git." Harry commented. "Lucius is nothing more than a scum bag. Someone would've eventually killed him anyway."         

            Hermione looked at Harry with a frown.

            "What? It's true." Harry said. Hermione could see the hatred in his eyes.

            "Hi Harry, Hermione and Ron!" Ginny chirped. She sat down beside Harry. "Sorry I was late; I had to stay a little bit after class. Snape was such a pain!"

            After lunch, they all headed back to their classes. On the way, Hermione saw Dumbledore talking to a young man. 

            "You guys go ahead." Hermione told Ron and Harry. She carefully walked closer to Dumbledore and the man. To her surprise, the man was accompanied by dementors. She tiptoed and tried to get a clearer view of the man. To her surprise, it was Draco.

            "Why Mister Malfoy? Why?" She heard Dumbledore ask.

            "I've had enough of him and his evil ways." Draco said with anger in his voice. "He hurt enough people."

            "There are other ways to get justice." Dumbledore replied. "Less violent ways."  
            "He would always find a way to get out of it, no matter what the Ministry did." Draco answered. "This was the only way. Someone had to end his miserable life."

            "It didn't have to be you." Dumbledore said softly. 

            "I only came back here to ask if I could see Hermione again." Draco told him. Hermione felt her heart beat faster. "I – we – have things to talk about."

            "I believe right now is the perfect time." Dumbledore smiled. He looked straight at Hermione who was still trying to hide. "Hello Miss Granger."

            "Uh – I was just – uh….looking for something." Hermione lied. 

            "I think I should head back to my office now." Dumbledore said. "Miss Granger, I expect you to return to your class when you are done." He walked away and left Hermione and Draco standing.

            "So…" Hermione began. She stared at the marble floor.

            "I just wanted to tell you, Hermione." Draco said, not looking her in the eye either. "That I'm sorry."

            Hermione looked up at him. "Excuse me? Did you just apologize?" She didn't mean to sound rude, but she was truly surprised.

            "I'm sorry for…you know…." Draco said. "As soon as I get out of Azkaban, I promise I'll help take care of it, whether you want me to or not."

            "Mal – I mean, Draco, I -" Hermione started to tell him but he cut her off.

            He took her hand and held it tightly. "You may not believe what's going on right now, I don't believe it either. But I'm sure of one thing. I've changed, Hermione. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry that you have to go through this pain. But I promise you, as soon as I get out of -"

            "I'm going to marry Ron." Hermione said softly.

            "What?" Draco let go of her hand. 

            "H – He's going to be known as the child's father." Hermione explained, not looking at Draco. "I don't need you. I don't need your promises."

            Draco's expression suddenly turned grim. "Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want! I want the child."

            "You bastard!" Hermione slapped him. "You can't just ask for it like that! Like it's an object! The child will be better off with me."

            "You'll be nothing but a poor, wretched beggar in the streets!" Draco yelled. "I can see it now; the child will be wrapped in a dirty blanket, freezing to death in the winter. Starving and suffering. What a bright future."

            "Shut the fuck up! Just shut up!" Hermione said angrily. Her temper was rising uncontrollably. "Yes I'm sure the child would be so proud to know that his father was a murderer!" Hermione began to walk away but Draco grabbed her arm. 

            "This isn't over yet…" Draco said looking at her menacingly. "_Mudblood_."

            Hermione slapped him again but he just gave her a smirk. Then, he walked away with the Dementors. Hermione just watched him walk away as she cried and cried by herself in the dimly lit hallway.

A/n: Okay this is the 2nd last chap! One more to go and my fic is finished! Now go and make me happy and review! lol


	27. Quiet you

A/n: Ahhh! I can't believe this is the last chapter!!! This chap might be longer than all the others so yeah. Anyways, I think something's wrong with fanfiction…coz it says some of the reviews don't show. That's weird…I got the alert for them though. But oh well, who cares!? Thank you guys sooooo much for reviewing! I don't think I would've finished this fic without you guys. *tear* lol. Oh yeah, just finished OoTP, man…I still can't get over the shock and frustration…

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Note: this chapter is pretty damn long! Brace yourself lol

***This chapter contains a teeny tiny spoiler. Just warning you.***

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**Chapter twenty seven**

            The NEWTs were actually a lot easier than Hermione thought they would be. As for Ron and Harry, let's just say they tried their best. 

            "Finally we can relax." Ron smiled.  Him, Harry and Hermione were on their way to the Quidditch Pitch. "How'd you think you did?" 

            "I'm not sure…I have a feeling I have at least one or two mistakes overall." Hermione answered, looking tense. "I knew I should've reread my History of Magic notes an extra 5th time."

            Ron rolled his eyes, and then looked at Harry. "What about you?"  
            "I don't know." Harry answered. "Hopefully good enough to pass." Then they saw a cloud of scarlet and gold colors walking towards them. "Ron, we have to go to Quidditch practice. See you later Herm."

            Hermione nodded. Ron gave her a quick kiss and followed Harry. Hermione sighed and watched them practice. She looked around and saw two figures standing in the sidelines under a tree, away from the rest of them. One of the figures was wearing the Gryffindor Quidditch team uniform, the other was wearing robes. Hermione moved closer to them and saw a girl laugh and flip her red-brown hair back. _Ginny? She thought. _And who on earth is that boy with her? __

            "Oh Michael, you're so funny!" She heard Ginny giggle. Michael said something that made Ginny laugh even more. She was about to go to Ginny to find out what's going on but she decided to wait. After about two more minutes, she heard Ginny say good bye to Michael. Then she hugged him tightly and she ran to the other Gryffindors. Michael on the other hand, left in a flash. 

            _Interesting, Hermione though to herself._

*          ~          *          ~          *

            That evening, Professor Dumbledore made an announcement during dinner. He stood up and said, "The school year is almost at an end, and since this is our 7th years' last year, we decided to give them a little treat. On the second last day, there will be a farewell ball for 7th years, unless you are asked by a 7th year, you may not attend." There was a loud cheer in the hall. "Dress robes shall be worn. That is all."

            Excited, eager voices filled the Great Hall. Everyone couldn't wait until the ball. But until then, everyone still had to go on with their daily routine. However, the week passed by quicker than usual and before they knew it, it was the day of the ball. Hermione noticed that she was seeing less and less of Ginny and Harry didn't look to happy either. 

            "I wonder what's the matter with them." Hermione wondered as her and Ron walked around the grounds.

            "I'm guessing they're in a fight or something like that." Ron guessed. "I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs alright?"  
            "Ok." Hermione agreed. "Eight o'clock sharp."  
            During dinnertime, Dumbledore announced the House and Quidditch cup winner, who turned out to be Gryffindor again. 

            Harry turned to Ron and asked, "Have you seen Ginny?"

            "That's what I was gonna ask." Ron said as he chewed on his steak. "You're going to the ball with her right? Maybe she's with Hermione somewhere."

            Harry nodded and took off to search for Ginny. As he climbed up the stairs, she saw her come out of the Gryffindor Room. 

            "Where have you been?" Harry asked. He led her back in the common room.

            Ginny began to blush. Sweat started forming on her face. "I – well I was just t-tired, that's all. I decided to stay in my room and rest."

            "Oh. So I'm guessing you can't go to the ball with me tonight then." Harry smiled, but there was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Are you feeling any better?"  
            "No – uh – yes – n – no." Ginny stammered. "Oh Harry! I can't do this anymore!"

            "What's the matter?" Harry asked. He took a step closer to Ginny who sat on a nearby chair.

            "I – I - " Ginny's eyes began to water. 

            "Don't cry. Don't worry, I'm here. It'll be ok." Harry soothed her. He reached for her. He reached for her hand but she quickly pulled away. Harry looked at her intensely.

            "Harry, I – I'm sorry!" Ginny sobbed. "I – I think w-we should s-stop seeing e-each o-other." She burst into tears.

Harry had a confused look on his face. "Why? I – Is it coz of me? What did I do?" 

            Ginny cried even harder. "No! It's not you at all! It's me! And I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" 

            "But why Gin?" Harry asked again.

            "R-remember M – Michael C-Corner?" Ginny asked quietly.

            Then it struck Harry. Ginny fancied another man. With a solemn look on his face, he said, "I think I should go to my room now."  
            "Oh Harry, I'm so sorry! It's entirely my fault!" Ginny quickly got up and grabbed Harry's arm. "I –I don't know i-if you'll e-ever forgive me, I know I don't d-deserve to be, b-but I'm so sorry!"

            Harry looked at her and kissed her wet cheek. "See you soon, Gin." Then, Hermione went inside.

            "I knew I forgot something in here." She muttered. She walked to a couch and picked up the ring Ron had given her. She saw Ginny bawling and Harry merely standing there. 

            "I'm sorry!" Ginny cried again and she rushed out of the room.

            "Harry, I - " Hermione began.

            "We broke up." Harry said flatly. "Can you tell Ron that I can't make it tonight?" And with that, he left Hermione feeling terrible.

~          *          ~          *          ~

            "Bloody hell." Ron said when Hermione told him about Michael and Ginny. "Michael Corner? That queer guy? Why on earth did Ginny choose him over Harry? If I were Harry, I would've blown up Ginny into bits!"

            Hermione couldn't help but laugh, even if it wasn't a laughing matter. Then she turned serious and said, "Those are the questions that we'll never know the answers to." She thought tonight was supposed to be a happy, festive night, where they would all reminisce the good times they had. She turned out to be very wrong.

            "This isn't as fun without Harry and Ginny." Ron said. "Why'd my stupid sister have to mess it up?"

            "Come on Ron. I know what she did sounds incredibly stupid right now - " Hermione replied.

            "You've got that right." Ron muttered.

            " – But maybe she couldn't help it. You can't stop how you feel for someone. It's better like this than letting Harry think she loved him when deep inside she didn't really." Hermione continued. "Look, let's stick around for awhile. Then we'll leave when we get really bored."

            Ron nodded and they decided to hang out with the other Gryffindors. They danced a bit and after an hour, they decided to head back.

            "I'm sorry today didn't turn out the way we hoped." Hermione said.

            "Don't apologize for anything." Ron told her. They walked together hand in hand to the Gryffindor tower. "How's the kid?"

            "She – or he – is doing great." Hermione smiled. She hadn't told Ron about what happened with Draco. "I can't wait to see her – or him – in September."

            "Neither can I." Ron grinned. He leaned closer to Hermione and kissed her softly. "See you tomorrow."

            "Bye. Good night." Hermione smiled. They kissed again and they headed to their rooms.

~          *          ~          *          ~

            Finally, it was the last day of school. Everyone dragged their belongings to the train. Ginny avoided contact with Ron, Harry and Hermione. Harry still remained quiet but forced a smile every now and then.

            On the ride home, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Neville shared a compartment. When they reached the train station, they slowly got off feeling happy and sad at the same time.

            As Harry carried his trunk, he was approached by Ginny, who looked extremely shy and guilty.

            "Look, Harry, I - " Ginny began but Harry stopped her.

            "Ginny, you don't need to explain." Harry said. "I understand."  
            "I honestly tried not to love him, Harry. Especially after what he did during our 4th year, well _your 5th year, but I couldn't." She told him. "I really thought that you and me belonged together. Don't get me wrong, you were really strong. It's just that - "_

            Harry merely smiled and held her hand. "A part of me will never forget you." 

            Ginny looked like she was going to cry. She dropped her trunk and hugged Harry tightly. "You can still live with us at the Burrow you know."  
            "I'll think about it." Harry said as Ginny let go of her embrace. "Bye for now." He walked over to Ron and Hermione who were also hugging nearby.

            "I'll owl you everyday." Hermione was saying.

            "So will I." Ron nodded. "I'll try to use a fellphone."

            "_Telephone, Ron." Hermione laughed. "It's been 7 years and you still don't know the word for it."_

            "Quiet you." Ron replied.

            "I'll visit as soon as I tell Mum and Dad." Hermione told him.

            "You better!" Ron teased. Him and Hermione shared a quick kiss and saw Harry.

            "I'll think about staying with you first." Harry told Ron.

            "What's there to think a - " Ron began but Hermione elbowed him on the ribs.

            "We can go there together." She smiled. Harry smiled back but his eyes were still full of sadness.

            "Well, see you guys until then." Harry said.

            "Bye." Hermione and Ron said together.

            "I have to go too." Hermione told Ron when she saw her parents wave at her. "I love you."  
            "I love you too, Hermione." Ron grinned and they shared a sweet good bye kiss.

A/n: Told you that was pretty long! Well there you have it, my fic's finally finished! Thank you so much for reviewing and reading my fic! I appreciate it! I don't think I ever would've finished it without you guys. Thank you soooooo much!


	28. Author's Note

Hey! I just wanted to say thank you for the millionth time to all the readers and reviewers! I can't name all of you but thank you sooooo much! Also, I decided that I AM going to write a sequel! I  haven't decided the title yet, but please wait for me to upload it very soon, maybe in 2-3 days so yeah. I already have the plot set up too but I'm not sure on the ending yet though. 

This sequel will answer the following questions:

- What will happen to Ron and Hermione/ Ron and Hermione's wedding

- What about Harry and Ginny?

- What will happen to the child? 

- What will happen when Malfoy gets out of Azkaban?

So yeah, thank you again!!


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